In the last couple of years we’ve witnessed a great evolution in Ramadan series. For over 40 years, Yehia Elfakharany proved that he mastered theatre, movies, and TV series with each year topping the previous year’s performance. This Ramadan’s series, Wanoos, is undoubtedly one of Fakharany’s best performances ever, proving that age is just a number.
Wanoos represents the eternal metaphorical struggle between man and the devil; between good and evil and the power of lust in its various forms. Written by the great novelist Abdelrehim Kamal and directed by Shady Elfakharany, Fakharany joins a really talented cast including Hala Sedky, Nabil Elhelfawy, Mohamed Shahin, and Hanan Motawea.
The first episodes started with a friendly old man (Wanoos) who visits a family claiming he’s a family friend and he’s trying to help them get their inheritance from their father. The viewer is kept mostly clueless but just giving them small hints until it’s discovered that Wanoos is the devil and he’s making deals with humans, cleverly luring every human with what he/she desperately needs and making this life heaven. We later find out that Wanoos is after Yakout (the father), and wants him to repay his debts, as Yakout walked out on his deal with him.
What set a great series apart is the attention to small details, and Wanoos is full of clever hints that most people didn’t notice: ka2eno salef gesmo (hinting residual haunting), hala3abak kol el le3ab b tazkara wa7da (hinting the deal with the devil), shagaret el tofa7 (the famous story of the devil luring Adam to eat an apple from the forbidden tree which resulted in Adam and Eve getting kicked out of heaven), and many others. But the most intriguing hint that I really enjoyed was the hash part (lw halal adeena bneshrabo w lw haram adeen bnehra2o) in reference to Elfakhrany’s most famous movie El Keif. The small details are what catch the viewers’ eyes.
What really interested the viewers these days and even went viral on social media was the scene from episode 12 between Wanoos and Ghareeb. When Ghareeb is trying to escape the police after being convicted for murder, he goes to Wanoos for help. Wanoos offers his help in exchange for Ghareeb’s soul. Without thinking Ghareeb listens to Wanoos and hangs himself to death, then Wanoos just stands there laughing at the stupid naive human. This scene has already been dubbed as one of the greatest scenes to ever happen on Egyptian TV.
After four years missing from the Ramadan scope, Elfakharany’s is one of the best in Egyptian series’ history. He studied and lived his role in the smallest details possible, the way he talks, his looks, his laughs, and his way of deceiving and luring will send chills down your spine. A genuine method actor with the talent and capability of performing almost any type of role and I believe that playing the devil is the hardest any actor can do; breaking the limitations of religions or beliefs. Also cleverly avoiding any Egyptian clichés.
In conclusion, Wanoos is one of the best Ramadan series of the this year and it’s a must watch; it’s both thrilling and intriguing. Elfakharany is still carving his name as one of the greatest in history with little concern to his age and mounting the Ramadan race every time he’s in.
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