A drama project about Farid Al-Atrash sparks a dispute among family members
The announcement by Prince Faisal Al-Atrash, the son of the brother of the late musician Farid Al-Atrash (1910-1974), of his willingness to present a dramatic work dealing with the biography of his uncle, sparked a dispute among members of the Al-Atrash family, whose members live in a number of Arab countries.
This came a few days before the commemoration of the 49th anniversary of the musician’s death, which falls on December 26th, when the dramatic project proposal sparked a dispute over who owns the rights to present the project. Prince Faisal, his brother’s son, the mother of the writer Mamdouh Al-Atrash, his cousin.
Syrian writer and artist Mamdouh Al-Atrash responded to Prince Faisal’s statements, saying: “He did not contact me to obtain my written approval for the potential project.”
Syrian writer and artist Mamdouh Al-Atrash (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Mamdouh confirmed in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat that “all of Farid and Asmahan’s information and everything related to their lives is in his possession, and he is the only one who has the exclusive right to produce any work that deals with their biography, according to a judicial ruling, and with written approval from all parties of the Al-Atrash family.”
Mamdouh pointed out that “the judicial ruling he obtained would prevent any party from discussing the lives of both Farid and Asmahan without his consent, as happened in the series (Asmahan) that was presented 15 years ago.”
For her part, the Lebanese writer Awatif Al-Zein, author of the book “Farid Al-Atrash and Asmahan, The Tragedy of Love and War,” believes that the writer Mamdouh Al-Atrash is the best in dealing with the biography of both Farid and Asmahan from an artistic standpoint. She added to Asharq Al-Awsat that “dealing with Farid’s life was long overdue, as there may be a disagreement about the way in which the late musician will be presented, who will embody his character dramatically, and the form and vision proposed for presenting the series.”
Al-Zein believes that “Faisal Al-Atrash is considered the closest heir to Farid, and he can be helpful in matters related to displaying his legacy, medals, sticks, and clothes, while the writer Mamdouh Al-Atrash is better from an artistic standpoint.”
Asmahan and Farid (Ancient Egyptian History page on Instagram)
Egyptian art historian Mohamed Shawqi says, “The life of Farid al-Atrash, whom his fans called (the sad melody), (the prince of Arabic music), and (the king of the oud), is unique and rich, and must be presented dramatically, without touching on any other matters.”
Shawqi added to Asharq Al-Awsat: “Farid Nagham is important in the life of the Arab nation, as he is the musician who made great artistic contributions, and was one of the first to present a musical performance film, and the only Arab musician to receive the immortality medal from France, like Bach and Beethoven, and the best to play the instrument.” Oud,” Shawqi also considered Farid’s life “artistically rich, far from the scenes of his personal life.”
Mamdouh Al-Atrash said that he obtained all approvals from the family, including Mrs. Camelia Al-Atrash, Asmahan’s daughter, after a dispute and lawsuits that lasted 10 years, after obtaining the signatures of 130 individuals from all the notables of the Al-Atrash family, Camelia, and Mounir, Farid and Asmahan’s paternal brother.
Farid and Asmahan (Ancient Egyptian History page on Instagram)
Faisal Al-Atrash, Farid Al-Atrash’s nephew, said in recent press statements that “the dramatic work has been preparing for some time, as a simple way to inform the public of the truth about the late artist.”
He pointed out that “the work aims to correct and erase rumors and rumors that affected his uncle,” hoping that “the series will be the only reference to Farid’s biography.”
Musician Farid Al-Atrash was born in Jabal Al-Druze in the Syrian city of Suwayda, and moved to live in Egypt with his mother and two brothers, Fouad and Asmahan. Because of the political events in his country, Farid starred in several cinematic films, including “The Lover of a Lifetime,” “The Story of a Whole Lifetime,” “A Letter from an Unknown Woman,” “Great Love,” “Exit from Paradise,” and “A Day Without Tomorrow,” “There Is No Other Than You,” “Love is Hard,” and “You Are My Love,” in which a number of stars participated with him. Among them are Shadia, Hend Rostom, Sabah, Maryam Fakhr El-Din, Lubna Abdel Aziz, Samia Gamal and others.
