For some reason – a reason we are quite aware of – Dhafer L’Abidine seems to take over social media every Ramadan. Ever since his role in ‘Ta7t ElSaytara’, women have been very public about their love for the Tunisian actor. L’Abidine plays the role of Selim this year in ‘7alawet El Donya’, and women were not ready.
Selim is a cancer patient with a brain tumor, who refuses to receive treatment, fearing the surgery’s bad prognosis. Selim pushes away everyone who cares about him, until Amina shows up and he can’t help but fall for her. In last night’s episode, Selim confessed his love to Amina and he literally shamed every man whoever tried to make a romantic gesture. EVER!!
Girls, I know your hearts were beating fast. I am aware that you stopped breathing for two whole minutes. But let’s agree that Selim is perfect because it’s a mosalsal. Let’s convince ourselves that this is fiction, so we can survive this month.
Keep reminding yourself. Who will get you six meaningful gifts, and have one of them be a diamond ring? Will you find a man who looks like L’Abidine? Even if you do, how can you be okay with him being every woman’s center of attention, obviously affecting his focus on you? In real life, men who go out of their way for romance are called sissies, and their male friends make fun of them. Let’s accept the fact that Selim is a fictitious lie, to ease the pain.
I’m wondering what the show creators were thinking showing, us a man like Selim, whom we are quite sure won’t be alive by the end of Ramadan. Guys, do you understand the state of mind you will put us in right before Eid? This is more cruel than Brad Pitt getting killed by a bear in Legends of the Fall, even crueler than Rose in Titanic taking that whole board for herself, and leaving Jack in freezing water to die.