Egyptian cinema has been witnessing a strong return in recent times to the pattern of artistic duos, after years in which solo starring roles dominated most productions. Critics have described the shift as "significant" — not only for artistic reasons but also for marketing ones, relating to diversity, audience appeal, and achieving higher revenues following a decline in public interest in solo-star vehicles.
The artistic duo format was never alien to Egyptian cinema. Previous decades saw pairings between giants such as Fouad El-Mohandes and Shwikar, Anwar Wagdy and Laila Murad, Omar Sharif and Faten Hamama, Kamal El-Shenawy and Shadia, and others, with the pattern continuing to appear and disappear before making a strong comeback once again.
Currently leading the successful artistic duos are Karim Abdel Aziz and Ahmed Ezz, starring in the film The Seven Dogs, which is screening in cinemas and achieving high box-office revenues. The two previously formed a successful pairing in the film Kira and the Genie, which was released some years ago with a budget exceeding 40 million dollars.
The events of The Seven Dogs revolve around Khaled Al-Azazzi, an Interpol agent who finds himself compelled to cooperate with Ghali Abu Daoud, a member of the Seven Dogs gang, on a joint mission to combat drug trafficking, placing the two in the midst of a series of complex crises.
Among other films currently showing that bring together two or more stars in shared lead roles is Saqr and Canaria, starring Mohamed Adel Imam and Chico. The artistic duo has managed to lead their film to the top of the Egyptian box office, with the film achieving high revenues. Also starring in the film are Yosra El-Lozy, Yara El-Sokary, Khaled El-Sawy, Intissar, and Dana Hamdan, directed by Hussein El-Menbawi.
On the dominance of artistic duos in this year's cinematic output and their importance in lending a film special weight compared to solo starring vehicles, critic Faiza Hindawi told Al Bayan: "Arab art in general was long dominated by the concept of artistic duos, and in the golden era there were inseparable pairings, among them the late stars Kamal El-Shenawy and Shadia, Farid Al-Atrash and Samia Gamal, and others."
She added: "A work that brings together two or more stars is better than a star appearing in a solo role, but the deciding factor in this matter remains the artistic treatment of the work and how it is executed."
For his part, critic Ahmed Saad El-Din explained that a work of art is a collective endeavour, and audiences like to have more than one star within a single production. He added that artistic duos lend a work special weight and provide it with an acting contest that unfolds between the leads, which in turn draws viewers to the work.
He noted that the return of duos with large budgets restores cinema's natural momentum and gives audiences a richer experience in terms of performance and interaction within the story.
He continued: "By contrast, a work that relies on a single star may not contribute to drawing audiences — and therefore duos represent a great benefit to the art."