Munif Abdul: Text First.. and "Ahl al-Osool" a Different Experience

Yasser Al-Aila: Veteran director Manaf Abdulrahman continues his active presence in the Kuwaiti and Gulf artistic scene, following a career rich with successful works in directing and production, always keeping the development of his tools and keeping pace with the latest developments in the drama world in mind.

Abdulrahman is currently undertaking a new experience through the series “Ayal Al-Osool” (Children of the Lineage), produced by his son, young artist Hassan Abdulrahman, in partnership with young artist Abdulaziz Mandani. The production team built a comprehensive studio featuring dedicated locations, including a police station and government offices, to shoot several scenes of the work.

Regarding the decision to build a full studio instead of filming on real locations, Manaf Abdulrahman told “Al-Anbaa”: “In the era of digital platforms and the intense competition among them through massive productions, every director and producer strives to deliver works that do not fall short in quality compared to distinguished Gulf, Arab, and international productions. Therefore, I found that filming inside the studio offers better image quality, provides greater comfort for the actors and the crew, and gives us unique locations that will not be repeated in other works.”

He added: “Although state institutions did not fall short and their doors were open, the long shooting period made building a dedicated location the best and most comfortable option for everyone, and to avoid causing any inconvenience to these institutions.”

When asked if building the studio represented a significant production burden, Abdulrahman clarified: “Certainly, it is costly financially.”

Regarding “Ayal Al-Osool,” he said: “The work is an idea by Hassan Abdulrahman, with writing by Ammar Bushahin, Ibrahim Nairouz, and Manaf Abdulrahman. I will not disclose details of the story, but I can say it is a beautiful social work that addresses family disintegration through a mother living with her husband and children under conditions of extreme poverty. The cast includes Zahra Arfath, Khaled Amin, Hessa Al-Nabhani, Hassan Abdulrahman, Abdullah Al-Balushi, Yassa, Haneen Hamed, and from the Sultanate of Oman, artist Mohammed Al-Kalibi, whom Abdulrahman expects to have a notable presence and success, alongside guest stars the great artist Abdulrahman Al-Aqil and Abdullah Al-Turkmani. The work is produced by Hassan Abdulrahman and Abdulaziz Mandani.”

On receiving his usual fee as a director despite this being his son Hassan Abdulrahman’s first production experience, Manaf said: “Every father wants to see his son surpass him and reach the highest ranks. Today, I must stand by his side and support him, and I wish him success. He and his generation of young people are the ones who will continue the journey and carry the legacy forward. We, thank God, have had our chance and delivered successful works; now it is time for the youth to take their turn.”

He revealed that he was not initially enthusiastic about his son’s production experience, saying: “I rejected the idea from the start and advised him to postpone it for some time to gain more experience in this area. However, in the face of his determination, I agreed and stood by him because he deserves it. In the end, he is my son, and I hope he becomes a major producer in the future and leads our company, ‘Arabian Artistic Drama,’ to the highest level.”

Regarding the great success of the series “Sister Fakhriya,” Abdulrahman affirmed that the work means a lot to him, saying: “This success has placed a great responsibility on me in choosing the works I present afterward. My current preoccupation is searching for strong scripts to transform into distinguished dramatic works, because the most important thing for me is the script.”

Abdulrahman revealed that he recently finished filming the series “Medical Error,” saying: “The audience will see new things through it. It is our first collaboration with the dear sister Umm Al-Zain, star Fawaz Al-Shatti, through a social work of 10 episodes, produced by ‘Active Media’ company under producer Mohammed Hussein. It stars Khaled Amin and a large number of stars.”

On his repeated collaboration with several stars, including Khaled Amin, he clarified: “My last collaboration with Khaled Amin was six years ago. He is a beautiful and talented actor who gives the characters he portrays a significant presence. After this absence, we reunited in two consecutive works: ‘Medical Error’ and ‘Ayal Al-Osool.’ I always believe that the role calls for its owner.”

On the secret behind his attachment to his directing and production team, he said: “I cannot do without them, starting with the talented director of photography Mahmoud Al-Hawsawi, in addition to the executive directors Fahd Falah, Ahmed Al-Qurashi, and others.”

He added with a smile: “And strangely, the success of artist Abbar Busaif, God bless her, in the second consecutive work as a production manager. The truth is that she surprised me, and I am not saying this just because she is my wife.”

Manaf Abdulrahman emphasized that developing his directing tools and following global and Arab innovations is fundamental to him.

In conclusion of his interview with “Al-Anbaa,” Manaf Abdulrahman revealed his new projects for the near future, saying: “I have a 30-episode series for next Ramadan, starring the great star Jamal Al-Radhan. It is a beautiful family work, and this is exclusive news for ‘Al-Anbaa.’”