Twenty-six years after the release of the film “First Love,” artist Mustafa Qamar revealed behind-the-scenes details and secrets of the production, including the changes that occurred before filming began.
During his appearance on the program “Sahebat Al-Saada” with media personality Esaad Younis, Qamar explained that director Sandra Nashaat was initially chosen to direct the film, while actor Karim Abdel Aziz was considered for the role that was later played by actor Tarek Lotfy. However, both actors withdrew shortly before filming was set to begin.
He said, “Karim told me, ‘I won’t stand in front of you because you’ll hate me. I’ll play the villain, and you’ll be the beloved one,’ and I respected his point of view.” He also noted that disagreements arose between director Sandra Nashaat and the screenwriter, which put him in a difficult position, especially since he was simultaneously searching for a director and a lead actor.
He added that he enlisted the help of director Hamed Saeed, who was working at the time directing music videos and with whom he had previously collaborated, to make his feature film directorial debut with “First Love.”
He indicated that he nominated Tarek Lotfy for the role, confirming that as soon as he heard the film’s story, Lotfy agreed to participate and signed the contract immediately.
Regarding his collaboration with actresses Hanan Turk and Mona Zaki, Mustafa Qamar revealed a friendly rivalry between them during the film’s preparation. He said, “Mona Zaki and Hanan Turk were competing. When I went to Hanan while we were finalizing the details, she asked how her name would appear on the poster. I asked her what she wanted, and she said, ‘I want to be right after you.’ I told her, ‘I’ll put your name before mine.'”
He recounted an incident involving actress Mona Zaki during filming, explaining that she had a disagreement with producer Hani Gerges because she was late for the shoot. He added, “Mona Zaki is very delicate and sensitive. She had a fight with producer Hani Gerges because she arrived a little late, and he said he wouldn’t film her verse in the song because he didn’t want to pay for another day. So I said I’d film it at my own expense, and we spent a whole day at my expense filming her verse.”
The film “First Love” was released in 2000 and starred Mustafa Qamar, Hanan Turk, Mona Zaki, Tarek Lotfy, and Hani Ramzy. It was written by Ahmed El-Beih and directed by Hamed Saeed.
