#ABtalks with Ahmed Helmy - مع أحمد حلمي | Chapter 167

Hello Ahmed. Hello Anas. And if I ask you, Ahmed, “Who are you?”. This is actually a very confusing question. I never knew who am I. I am made up of a mass of. contradictions. I sat down with Mona and heard her opinion, I sat down with Mona and heard her opinion, but I would like to hear yours. on the meaning of love, Reaching the third language. What does that mean? between a man and a woman. they always say that.

the man is the supporter. but the woman is also a supporter. I never dreamt that I would have money someday. I never imagined that I would succeed. in High school, I never thought I would become famous, I never sought it though, How was your relationship with your father and mother. My father died, and I did not get enough of him. My father died, and I did not get enough of him. If your father is in the other room where we were sitting, what would you tell him?

Hello. Greetings. Hello Ahmed. Hello Anas. First of all, how are you really doing? Actually, I am good, thank God. I mean, to some extent. To some extent? I am good, thank God. What do you mean by to some extent? I mean surely no human being is 100% good.

Sometimes humans, even if they look 100% good, there might be things inside of them. that does not make them feel good. Not good at the level of their work and life, or at the level of…. Currently, I am somewhat good. How much on a scale of ten? Eight. Eight is good. Of course. Do you feel that sometimes as humans…. First question. Do you feel that the older you get,

especially us as men, we become more emotional and sensitive? Definitely. Every time you get a little older, you feel that you get more refined, at the level of experience, and life’s knowledge. On the other hand, you feel that you are growing up, but you do not want to. I mean, when you are young,

you want to get older. But when you grow older, you want to become young again. I do not know. You have this feeling that. you missed the things you did not do. It is such a mix of feelings. You missed the things you did not do, or that you want to repeat things all over again. You want to go all over it, not to improve it, but to live it again. The idea of what if I did not get enough enjoyment of this feeling? Why did it pass so quickly? Your feelings when you are in college. with your friends, -on vacation with your parents. -True.

Such things one dreams of living again. Such things one dreams of living again. Okay, nice. Now, do you feel, Ahmed, that sometimes you wake up in a strange mood? I mean without any reason. Even if you sit like a logical person, and you ask yourself, “Brother, why am I upset? Why do I feel annoyed?”. But you are feeling so, like you feel bothered today. Does it happen to you? A lot. Really? At that exact moment or after a while, or during the first couple of hours, you still do not know the reason.

But maybe if you think more of yourself, you will figure out why. It can be related to not being much at ease at work. Possibly you have a lot of things to do, but you have no time for it. Or…. But I will tell you fairly. that one kind of knows what is wrong. But this sudden change in mood. is what always creates confusion. Like you fall asleep excited. because you want to wake up and do something. You want to pass the night, so you can wake up and do that thing. But when you wake up,

you lose interest in doing it. Or you blame your anger, so you no longer do it. Like you are not in the mood during that day. So, you run away from it. You know what I mean? But most of the time, these things come from…. If I am to talk about myself, There is something I am required to create. or that I have to write something. that I have to create out of nothing. Even if it is a little thought. that I still did not reach or figure out, this makes me angry.

It makes me feel like I do not know how to do anything, or that I do not know how to do anything. Like, how can I not think of this idea? How can I not know it? How can I not reach it? What I mean is to create that idea. Do you know what I mean? This gets translated as a disguised agitation inside of me. Like, “Come, just because you are a loser. who is not able to come up with the idea, you are beating around the bush.”. And I figured this out, because I used to always relate it to the idea that I was tired.

“So what? I will miss out on life?”. “Stay”. Like that. But when I sit with myself, and I find the thing I am looking for, I act as children do. I become so happy and I immediately know. that I was running away from it during the morning. So, concerning the artistic part. that you want to master something you want to do, but you cannot figure it out. You feel terribly inadequate.

as if you had never done this job before. Like an enemy to yourself. Sometimes, it is a good thing. Sometimes, it is a... There is a level that encourages you. to prove yourself that you are better, and there is one that frustrates you, -and makes you feel useless. -Exactly. Where? This is where it lies. The most important thing is where. No, either it comes the extent of this 180 degrees, or that much of 180 degrees. There is no in-between. You feel like a loser. that you did not come up with anything at all. As if you are emptied.

Why me? Reaching the extreme of it. And when you find it, you feel super confident in your skin. And you will say, “I found it, I am good.”. So, there is no in-between. For me, it is…. What makes you patient and soothing. is that you know you encountered this before. Yes. So, what do you say? No, I will find it. -Yes. -Do you know what I mean? This gives you hope that even if you have not reached it yet, you will find it. That you will find out something. True. And if I ask you, Ahmed,

“Who are you?”. This is actually a very confusing question. This, “Who are you?” that I never knew who am I. And I never felt that. I have a test for a particular thing. Or for someone to ask me, “Do you like classic wear?”. And I will answer, “Yes.”. “Do you like casual wear?”. And I will answer, “Yes.”. “Do you like sleeping early?”.

Or, “Do you like sleeping and waking up early?”. And I will tell you that I like it. “So, what do you do?”. I sleep and wake up late. But I would like to do so early. So, I feel like I have this…. Or that I am made up of all these mass. contradictions. If you ask me what type of music I like to listen to, for example, I will never answer in quotations, “But this one…”. “Anything like Como.”. No, you will find me listening to all genres.

“Are you personally asking me? Yes, what type do you like…”. And I will tell you, “Truly, I have none.”. I mean I have no specific words, or taste, particularly in something. Maybe, for example, I have simple preferences. Like, “What color do you like?”. So, I would tell you, “I like a little bit the color of red.”. But after a short period, “No, I personally like all colors.”. I do not know. I feel this combination is much better. than knowing yourself very well.

To not know yourself at all is way nicer for me. I can be very sad and after a while, I stop being upset. It can be the same behavior from someone who made me upset, and if the same thing happened, I may not get sad. I ask myself this a lot, “Who are you?”. I did not reach an answer. I like reading and sometimes I hate it. You know what I mean? I have no specific type, way, or taste, that without it, I feel uncomfortable. Only concerning certain small things,

such as sleeping in the dark. Do you know what I mean? This is nonsense. Even if there is light, it would not make much difference. Do you know what I mean? So, I am a mix. A mix. And if I told you to summarize your childhood in three words. My childhood in three words?

Three words? I can tell you that it was not. as I liked it to be. Not as you liked it to be? You mean it did not suit you, or your experience was not as you wished it to be? No, back then, one only notices it when he gets older. That, “What is this? It is not as I wanted to be.”.

Back then, you knew nothing but it. I only knew it and I was happy with it. But when you get older, you say, “If it had gone a little to the right, it would have been different.”. -Do you know what I mean? -True. I am not talking by the way about a. horrible or unpleasant childhood. No, but for example, I wished to learn languages. And you only do so when you are young. So, this is one of the things that was….

I wished to travel a lot when I was a kid, but I did so when I grew older, for example. So, there are certain things. that I wished it to be better than it was. But I loved it all. What story, situation, or moment, you laugh about when you recall your childhood?

A moment I recall…. Because you have a nice way of telling stories. I mean I enjoy listening to you. I watched a few nice interviews of you, and you know how to tell stories. Moments? There was once a moment, for example, when I was a kid. between my brother and I. We were still kids.

and we had a washing powder. Do you know the washing powder? Washing liquid. -Washing liquid. -Yes. -Not the liquid but the powder one. -The powder. Yes. Yes. Back in the day, it was put in a bucket, all right? Sometimes it has little things in it, I mean not…. Capsule. Yes, like a capsule. True. So, my brother was in the toilet, he is two years older than me, and he had a washing bucket next to him. And my brother and I were like good friends.

I went to the toilet and he told me to get out, and I responded that I would not do so. “I am telling you to get out.”. So, he grabbed this washing powder that had a capsule, and he threw it while I was speaking. So, it went in my mouth. I mean it went straight to my mouth and I swallowed it. Unbelievable. And I lost my voice and I did not understand anything. My mom came asking what was going on, and I could not tell her because I lost my voice.

I wanted to make fun of him. while he was laughing, you know what I mean? Then, for a child’s imagination, I felt that when I will speak that. soap bubbles will come out and such things. You know what I mean? So, this is one of the things that can be…. I once loved the aunt of one of my friends, Like I was six years old. Yes, for real. And she was old, you know what I mean? I lived that big role, should I tell him or not,

and about the betrayals of friends and such. She was actually his aunt. She was actually his aunt. Do you know what I mean? There are things like leaving our shoes to rent a car, back in the day, we used to rent cars. We were young and we did not have cards, -and so, whoever rents a car would have to leave their card. -okay. so, we would leave the shoes. We would leave them. Yes, you mean the shoes. Yes, you keep it with the man until you return the car because…. A deposit. Exactly. Nice. There were such things as this. that I would not advise allowing.

What moment do you remember from your childhood. that makes your heart happy and makes you smile? From my childhood? The moment that we always came back…. Because we used to live in Saudi Arabia. I lived my entire childhood in Saudi. The moment that we used to come back for a holiday, where I used to see my friends from Egypt,

my family and roam in the streets. This was the moment that truly when the plane landed at the airport, which I never forgot. My uncle used to pick us up from the airport, it was like a scene in the cinema. And I would be sitting right by the window. looking at the streets from the beginning of Cairo until we arrive. to Banha because I am from Banha, being too stunned to speak.

I used to live out the whole month and a half of the holiday, that we would spend until the last second. This was one of the moments. that was very important for me when I was a child. And the hardest moment in your childhood? Hardest moment in my childhood,

it could be…. Actually, in my childhood, I did not catch very difficult moments. One can really forget a big part of their childhood. I mean, I remember from middle school, that is why I told you, “It was not as it should be.”. Because truly when I think about it,

I do not recall much of my childhood days. I only remember bits from the middle school phase and after. That is why I do not have moments…. There is a moment, I still remember when I was a small kid, my father hit me with a pen, and it was the first time he had ever hit me. This was a moment that I was very affected by it. in my life and I have never forgotten it. My uncle Ghawi used to raise pigeons, expensive types and so on.

And he used to put them on the balcony. At my grandmother's house. And then I went into the balcony, and I opened the…. He used to lock them on the balcony. and so, the pigeons flew. And in our childhood, we did not know that these pigeons…. Me and my brother who was with me as well, my uncle saw what happened. and complained about me to my father. I do not know, my uncle was small-brained as well. I do know why he complained about me to my father, he could have….

My father came and he is one of those who. would blame his own self for the sake of others. You know there are such humans, the most important thing for them is not to bother anyone, and no one feels like this…. He saw what happened, “What is this? Who did this” and so on. So, I lied and said that it was my brother. His name is Khalid and I said it was him. And my father read from my brother’s reaction. that it was definitely not him. Do you know what I mean? Like, “It was definitely you, you liar.”.

It was a shock to me; I said it was my brother, but I was the one who got hit. In my childish mind, I did not realize. that my father actually knew I was lying. Personally, I believed what I said, so why would he be hitting me while my brother is accused? After a while, I understood that he knew I was lying, and the terrible irony was that the pigeons came back again. I did not know this. I did not either. The problem is with my uncle, not me. If you, my uncle, knew the pigeons would come back,

then why did you tell him? Do you understand me? I understand. What is this…. You already know that the pigeons will come back. Back then, I thought these pigeons that cost a lot of money, who were raised really well and such, and would gets fed every day, will not come back. But they came back the next morning! Do you know what I mean? So, -I mean… -These pigeons were raised on a different level, they came back. They came back and that’s it. They check their time and then come back, -like now the night is over. -The pigeons came back the next day, “All right, thank God.”. “No, it is fine, they come back.”. You had let the man hit me.

Since then, I learned the idea that there are things in childhood, no matter the passage of age and time, the child never forgets. Otherwise, I would not be talking about such a situation. Not to mention that I was upset, and I cried at that time. But five, six, or seven years may pass until you realize. True. that it had affected you. Yes, there are things that will affect you, but it teaches you after a while that it hurts.

You can hurt your son without paying attention. while thinking that it is okay. True. It is like a game that lies on both sides. What I mean is that there are things in our childhood. that can be one of the silliest things when you remember it. For example, when someone tells you, “The blue color does not look good on you.”. -Yes. -Like this example! “This color looks bad.”. All right? And you only said this simple sentence. -Yes. -But for a seven-year-old, for example,

to hear such a thing from his mom or dad, he might hate the color blue. True. But if they might say the same thing for someone else, they would not feel affected. True. But thank God. or a teacher would come and tell you, “You are dumb and foolish,”. then you feel affected. You may not recite poetry again, read verses from the book, or... -You would stutter and -Maybe because of something like this! -and lose confidence in yourself. -The kids in class would laugh at you, and you feel like it is over. You are very sensitive and soft as a small sponge.

It is true, you are like this white cloth, there are stains left that do not come out. Hibiscus is not like chocolate or tea, truly speaking. You have to be completely aware. of what you leave on this piece of cloth. This stain could take years to remove. Someone might say, “Because his awareness is of a small kid, he does not know what to tell you.”. What would he tell you? You are telling a small kid, for example, “The blue color does not look good on you,” as you mentioned. He did not know it, so for him, it will look bad.

-True. -It went straight to his head, or as you said, to speak well, and such, or that I do not speak pleasantly. Yes, there are things that can affect someone, but he probably knew how to benefit from it for his children. You know, you said something earlier, you mentioned the 180 degrees thing. You said that either you encourage. or put yourself down 180 degrees. Okay. But you said that sometimes because of growing up.

and going through experiences, you can get frustrated. The only thing that saves you. is that you have enough confidence from previous experiences, to say that this too shall pass. I am very smart, but I may have failed in this project. But I am smart, I went through this before and succeeded. The child whom you just mentioned. did not go through this experience. -Exactly. -To come and tell someone that this looks bad on them, he will not tell you, “No, I tried it.”. -No. -“The brown color is really…”. He will not do this. -It is that… -So, it is over. -He will think of what you said. -What he said, his glorified words.

Exactly, he will think of what you precisely say and that your words are true. That this color does not look nice on me. Exactly, he did not depend on an experience that already happened. There is none. And you said that your mind is blocked. from parts of your childhood. Do you feel that our minds make us forget. things because we went through tough traumas or experiences? For this reason, to have mercy on us, our minds do not let us remember it?

Do you believe in this idea? For me, anything that affects you. and you do not forget it, it means it turns into a psychological problem. This is another level of the psychological dimension. that you encountered something, then your mind actually blocked it, and you forgot about it. This means that it affected and hurt you a lot, to the point that your mind did not refuse to think about it,

but it had blocked it psychologically. So, you can ask the person about it, but they will not remember it. But it still causes a problem for you internally. -True. -I think this thing surpasses the idea. of color blue does not look nice on you. Do you understand? A bigger shock. Yes, definitely. True. Sure, you blocked it, and you do not want to remember it subconsciously. Your brain rejected it and transferred it. to this area as if it had never happened. True.

How was your relationship with your father and mother. when you were young? Regarding the things I was telling you, that sometimes you wish you could go back in time, and relive your youth, and make the most out of the things, and repeat them all over again. My father died, and I did not get enough of him. I did not go through the stage of.

friends-like relationship with him. He died when I was barely in my early years of university. I did finish university, but it was still the same. And because they used to live in Banha. while I resided in Cairo, I did not see them very often. Not much in the sense of not with them at home, or them not living next to you, so you can come and go all the time. And back then, in my childhood,

we used to live, as I mentioned, in Saudi Arabia. So, he used to work, go out and come back. It was the time when you do not realize. the true meaning of a father figure to get enough of him. Yes, my dad is at home, like my mom is there too, you know? You have your friends, and you go out with them, but during a time, you understand what your friends actually mean, and that they are present and will not go anywhere. You feel that the father takes another space in your life.

I did not get enough of it in my life. I did not get enough time for us to talk, to go out and chat. Because he was ill and tired. So, this was one of the hardest moments as well. Not the hard moments of your father being sick and tired, but the idea of helplessness that you cannot do anything.

This is one of the toughest feelings. one can pass through in his life. To see someone you love not able to get up. and you cannot do anything at all. Do you understand? You feel extremely helpless. He died…. Do you understand? I barely had time with him in my life and my kids as well. Because he went through the illness phase for a while,

he did not get to see them very much, like barely my eldest daughter. Do you understand? She was three years or so, and then he died. And this was one of the things as well that I…. For example, I tried a lot to get my mother live near to me, and she refused. She only wanted to live in her house and such. I always wanted her to live in the street next to me, or on the floor next to me, but it was her life. I cannot be that selfish,

she was comfortable there. So, coming back to my father, My father was a silent man, funny but quiet. He does not speak much, he was more of an observer than a speaker. And after what happened, I felt that I owed him big credit for my traits.

Concerning my shaping and traits. Genes as they call them, I felt it after what happened. So, I thanked God, and it had nothing to do with just how God is. Because my father and mother almost never raised us, not the literal meaning of it. But there was freedom during our upbringing,

so this shaped all of our personalities. We did not have the typical upbringing. “This is yes, that is no.”. No, there was none. -The gene took its course. -Its course. Yes, for real. So, these genes made us responsible, and love each other as siblings. I do not recall my father ever telling me, “Do not say that to your brother or sister, say this.”.

“Pat your sister's back, respect your elders.”. I have never heard these sentences in my life. Neither I nor my brother or sister heard it. Not at all, and I remember…. Of course, we used to fight when we were young. I do not remember much but we did, and we used to love each other without guidance. I feel like there was an invisible hand working on raising us, and we were not aware of it. Do we remember it or not?

Or it just happened on its own? So, as I told you, I did not have much time with my father. This is one of the things I wish I could go back in time, to spend time and see him. I miss him a lot. But this was one of the things.

that was very painful during his illness. I could not do anything for him at all. Like what can I do? I went through this situation and felt helpless at least twice. My answer is always close to yours. that it is one of the most difficult feelings. because I am used to having a solution, or accustomed to doing anything that might get results.

Either I talk to a doctor, find a way or a shortcut, anything to solve the issue. But you realize that you have to be patient, remain silent, and you cannot do anything. And you just have to be patient. You wait for the doctor to tell you something, and wait if the person is going to get better or just die. This is very hard. Very. For example, I remember leaving….

When I used to visit him at the hospital, in intensive care, as you know there is a glass window, and you stand behind it. Actually, the idea of witnessing anything bad happening. for anyone you love is a horrific thing. For me, this is a really horrific feeling. To see someone or anyone you love like this, not to mention if it is your father as well. The idea that you see him with ventilators.

in the middle of equipment while he is barely waking up. I still remember standing behind the glass, he opened his eyes and saw me. I was by myself, I left others at home and went to the hospital. They were buying things and stuff and whatnot, until he gets out and such. So, he pointed like this as if he was referring to God. Because he did not know where he was entering,

going or what was happening. There are things that lead you in life. It is true, for example, that his operation. at the time was an open-heart surgery. The operation was supposed to last six hours. Six to seven hours were the minimum hours. He finished after three hours. and came out fine, although he did not pass away from this thing. He passed away because he had cancer.

So, I stood with the doctor, and he told me. before he entered the operation theatre for six hours, “I do not know how the process went like this.”. “The process went like that. I do not understand how it went like, we finished, we locked up and left.”. And he had something like, I feel that it protects us in a way, me, and my siblings. Do you understand? Where we go in life. As if he is there, I dream about him a lot.

Really? And you dream things you feel are from your subconscious mind, or like messages or chat? No, most of them are real messages, and I know they are not from my subconscious mind. because I did not think of them earlier. Like, what is this? I miss my father. Or I saw a picture of him, for example, or something like that, so when I fell asleep, I dreamed of him. No, suddenly something like this happens.

like I dreamed about him. Do you understand? Like without a warning. And there are dreams where he was scolding me. -Such dreams, not the rosy ones. -The nice ones. But when I used to ask someone. who knows a lot about dreams, it would turn out to be the opposite of what I had thought of. I was very happy about the thought of him coming to me in a dream.

For me, this is something…. And when he scolds me without understanding why, do you understand? So... The interpretations of dreams are always different. For example, there was a dream, he was scolding me. because I prayed incorrectly. For example, I was praying and supplicating incorrectly. I did not understand what he meant by it, but he was like, “How can you pray…”. He was scolding me, and once I told the dream to someone, he interpreted it for me that it holds a different meaning. That supplicating and scolding means this and that, do you understand what I mean?

This is one of the very enjoyable moments. that someone dreams about them and wakes up from sleep. I was watching your old videos. I was watching your old videos. -I watched the story of the small bathroom you were in, -The small one. it made me laugh. Take your time to repeat the old story, when was the last time you told it? -A long time ago. -Maybe our audience does not know the story.

Tell us the story of the bathroom. Tell us the story of the bathroom. Actually, I was living in an apartment like…. How old were you? -At university, home, or school? -No, at university. -University. -At university, okay. I had already finished university. It was back in 1992 or 1993, I used to live in Banha as I told you, and then…. I resided in Cairo as an expatriate,

and I relied on myself for a long time, not because I am man who does so. No, because we did not have money. We lived back then for a long time in Saudi and saved up money. My father, with good intentions. and a kind heart, put all his money into investment companies. and so, all the money was gone. He says, “If you want to come and get your money, you can take washing machines instead,”. do you understand? Like things, clothespins, and stuff like that. Thank God, my father was one to be very accepting.

The important thing is that I studied in Cairo, -and I did not want to burden my family with expenses. -To be a burden. Yes, because I knew what the situation was like and such. So, I said that I must work. I worked and I had to settle there. So, I started looking for people to live with me, then I found someone to be with me in the apartment. The entire apartment’s size. is like the distance between you and me. Do you understand me? You move from one room to another one step at a time. It was already one-room.

No, it was two, all right? It was a quarter of a room made into two rooms. There was a hall and a kitchen that barely had a stove. There was nothing but it. Only a stove, tea, and sugar. If you put something else, it will get tighter. For real, do you understand me? I went to the kitchen; I do not even remember... Or maybe I was small, so the apartment was enough for me. I probably cannot fit and sit in it if I go to it now. It was a very small apartment beyond what you can imagine.

Set alone that the bathroom was a story in itself because... Any apartment must have a bathroom, do you understand? Eventually, we will not do it in the potty. There must be a bathroom in the apartment. The ones who constructed this apartment almost. thought about how they would set up the bathroom. The apartment must have a bathroom. The apartment must have a bathroom. So, they found a small place like this and thought, “We found it, this will be the bathroom.”. That they will make it ceramic or whatever. The whole bathroom was a three-in-one usage. This means that the shower is poured into the basin,

do you understand? For real, and the basin is stuck at this wall, which means when you enter the bathroom. you must know which one to do first. Because if you go in to wash your face, you must enter sideways. Because you cannot turn around. in the bathroom to wash your face, do you understand? You must wash your face while standing. because you cannot bend down, or you will crash into the wall. -I am speaking for real. -Yes, I believe you. Do you understand me? It is impossible.

Initially, you will crash into the wall. and your brain will do so as well with the one in front of you. Because you want to wash your face. And the faucet was this size, do you understand? Like the airplane faucets, that size! And the basin was this size, so you put your hands on and wash your face like this. If you want to enter the toilet, you must give it your back, do you understand? You have to push yourself in like parking the car in the garage. And you sit, finish your stuff, and get up. The bathroom was almost, for example,

one meter in length and width. one meter in length and width. And the showerhead was this size. The shower head was in the sink. If you open the shower head, it will pour into the sink. You want to take a shower, but how will you do so? You do it this way, so the shower head will pour into the toilet. You will take a shower, go to the toilet, it was two-in-one at the same time. Do you understand? -All at once. -Yes, everything together. You take a shower whilst sitting, You take a shower whilst sitting, It is first class for sure.

Horrific. You do not waste time. The shower heater in this bathroom was outside of it. There was no place for it, so it was outside. It was a water heater of this size as well. Tiny like this size. It was horrific, it would heat up all the water in the faucets. Not just for me but for the people downstairs and upstairs. When you turn on the water heater, it would heat…. Get me? For all of you.

For all at the same time. And the cold-water fuses with the hot, do you understand? One of the terrible situations that used to happen. is that the bidet in the bathroom... -Hot. -If you do not check it, and make sure that it is good, it would be hot and sticks to…. Do you understand? Whilst sitting, you will find yourself screaming, and stuck by the door. And for the downstairs, it would pass by the whole apartment. and sometimes to people upstairs. And you listen to yelling voices in the apartments. “Turn off the heater!”. The heater used to cause problems in the apartment, do you get it?

So, this was one of the things for me. that made me hate going there. Truly, I would open the door on the bed, there was no space. I lived there for a long time. and there was a coffee shop downstairs. It would be open day and night, playing chess and…. -True. -It was…. At least it softens the past, the struggle, you laugh at it. You do not laugh when you go through it. I will never laugh at it,

I used to hate myself as I mentioned. I could not sleep due to the shop’s noises, nor wake up, go to the toilet or even shower. I did not know. You do not want to go. because the apartment was like a prison for you. If it had not been a tragedy, I would not be laughing at that time. Since it was a tragedy, it makes you laugh. True. Are we going to remember it and get sad? Or think of it and laugh? -Do you understand? -True. Just what I am saying is that. any of these things, back at the time,

you learn from them. you learn from them after a while. You do so and at least you think and say, “Oh my God, one was…”. “Thank God.”. To always see that after every hardship, you build something in yourself as well. The reason I mentioned the bathroom’s story. is because I noticed that most people, when they remember their past, poverty,

something harsh, and even challenges…. A lot of people today who live in pride and prosperity today. try not to show that they came from a certain past. And you feel they are not reconciled. with the past, or they ignore it. But from the snippets I saw of you, you are very reconciled with the past you came from. It is normal for you, and you laugh about it. Is what I saw true?

I will tell you something. Perhaps in the past, I used to feel ashamed of it, or embarrassed, at a young age. For example, when I was twenty or eighteen years old. Surrounded by friends who have money. and whatnot, and by those who go out. Back then, I was not bothered. but I felt like I missed something. So, I would possibly run away from a hangout. because I had no money.

I did not want to get embarrassed. Or run away because I will not be able to read the menu. that was in English, I will not be able to. While they speak and know the language. or are quite familiar with the place. What shall I eat? Today, I have no money so I will not go out. I have money but I will not go because of the menu. I have money but I will not go because of the menu. Do you understand what I mean? It truly included things that I did not know. Like, Beef Stroganoff and such, Spaghetti Bolognese and... For me to spell them, do you understand what I mean?

Or I have to speak. So, I would not go, I did not want to put myself in such a situation. But again, I thank God that my heart. was never filled with hatred or…. No, I used to blame myself. that I was the one who had something missing. Not that the other person has more. I was the one who had something missing, which is normal. Back then, maybe I went through these emotions,

until I started to become known. Actually, not that, but when I started hosting a show for kids. I watched it. -It was a long time ago, I was not… -Interviews. Yes, I did not show my face and such. But this gave me a light in my life. that made me gain confidence in myself. Like a light emerges inside you. that means you know how to do something. Pay attention, this is not all. No, you know how to do something,

and this thing you do, no one can do it. Because I faced something as well. when I was already about to leave that show. But Sanaa Mansour, head of the sector back then, she is a dear, may God grant her all health and goodness, I told her, "I am leaving the show,". “Who will host it?”. Because I hosted a pilot episode. She told me, “Who will host what?”. “No one in the world will know. how to teach the lesson but you.”. As if she trapped me in a circle like this, “No one will know how to do this but me?”.

“Yes…”. “But…”. “No, I am telling you. Nobody can do that except you.”. I was very happy with the sentence she said that…. I hosted it and she told me again, “Told you no one will know how to do this.”. So, I felt special that, “What is this? I have something that no one knows how to do but me.”. This made me gain so many things that had to do with my decisions. So, I always chose myself, and chose things no one knew how to do but me. Something would be offered to me,

I would scan it and say, “Maybe someone else can do it.”. “No, either I know how to do this thing. that no one does but me, or try to do it good so no one can perform it but me.”. It gives you a little confidence, like, “What is this?”. You know how to do things, probably you are the one who can do it. I seek refuge in God from the word “I”. but I am just referring to myself. It gives you self-confidence,

so it would not matter to me, I know how to do anything. Do you understand? I know how to do something that no one can. So, I became more open. and that situation was okay for me. What is the problem? It does not matter. And such…. And I switched it into a comical situation. That I was making fun of myself. Do you understand what I mean? I was making a joke of myself, like foolish me. Am I foolish? I do not know how to speak, I do not guys.

If it was not for that, I would have been. emotional from that story a long time ago until now. But when I had it in me, this sensitivity was gone. It was not there anymore, and I stopped. being embarrassed by anything, as long as it is something that is not related to me. Like, I was not the reason behind it. Poverty, exhaustion, dad, mom…. Nothing, it just happened.

Nice, and you made me…. You know, fifteen minutes ago, those phrases you said that we hear sometimes, like, from a teacher, mother, or father. It sticks especially negative sayings. Even positive things, like the one about that Miss you mentioned, when she said, “No one knows how to do it but you.”. You still remember it to this day. And this was a turning point in Ahmed's personality. Exactly. Sometimes even positive phrases someone tells you,

“You are a great football player.”. Said by a respected coach, for example. And everyone telling him, “Why did he say that?”. And he chose you to be in the team. Something happens to you. Someone telling you, “No one can act this role. better than you do, you were unbelievable.”. Your confidence increase by 3%. and it grows and becomes more stable in you. This is something very important. The second thing that you did in your life, which is vital for any young man or woman listening, going through bullying. Whether by their color,

where they come from, or what country, because of stuttering whilst speaking. The moment. you accept this thing... Let us say, how can I portray it? Let us call it the beast, as long as you do not speak of it, this beast will grow stronger in your life. But when you speak of it, this beast will turn into a chick. Yes. It becomes something like that. There is a story that I always remember.

of my adopted brother Tariq. He looks very Asian. I think he is half Sri Lankan and half Bangladeshi. His color and looks are different from ours. On the first day of school, I told him, Tariq, I will tell you something. “If someone tells you where you are from, tell them you have an Emirati passport,”. but you are from Bangladesh or originally from...”. "Talk, do not deny.". Because if you deny it, they will bully you.

If someone comes and tells you, “You have a simple background, Ahmed.”. And you replied, "No, we had money.". You will be a victim. -Yes, exactly. -They make jokes out of you. But if you say, “Yes, we had no money and nothing.”. Then what? You get reconciled with yourself. Now I have nothing to do, I cannot bully you. It is vital to say that even if you had something. Even what? If you had something. Yes. Perhaps I am talking about confidence. that I gained but not because I had money. No, it is the confidence that I gained at the time,

I also did not have any money. Or that I suddenly woke up, found myself speaking a language well, or found money, or we became rich. I gained confidence in myself. I learned something, I did it, and gained this confidence. All right, I will assume that I gained this confidence. I did what I had to, and I am exactly where I need to be. The important thing is as you said that. you must face this and say it,

even if you do not have anything. -True. -There are even people who will tell you, “Yes, he is saying this now because he became famous and known, and his parents have money and everything.”. So, it was easy for them to say, “I was poor, exhausted, ignorant, and illiterate...”. No, the idea is to say this all the time. Whether you had money or not. -True. -This is the whole point. Because many people think of it. that way when it comes to discussing it.

I think this is also due to the idea. that if one has nothing special, people must be satisfied that they do all of that. Satisfied that not everyone understands this, or that they have a talent they rely on. that gives them self-confidence. But there is satisfaction that is not just abided by saying it. No, satisfaction is about what you are today, so it can improve you to be better.

Some people might tell you to be satisfied. with how God created you and to die with that mindset. No, be satisfied for now. so you can improve what is coming next. Because you are always not satisfied with your current situation, you will never improve what is coming next. It is impossible, you are not satisfied, do you understand? There are people who will tell you to stay satisfied, that they will stay that way, and they thank God for staying. satisfied until they die and such. No, stay satisfied with what you have now, when you do this, you will find yourself in….

You would want to improve this about you. You want to get better. Not satisfied, sleeping, and lazy, or not... Of course, this also makes a difference. And it is an important point. Because sometimes people mix. between satisfaction and lack of ambition. -Yes, exactly. -This cannot happen. You stay satisfied and thank God for the blessing. like, how can I improve myself as a person? -Of course. -How can I invest better and be a better father and brother?

How do I learn a new talent? You are created for this. -You are supposed to be a student all your life. -Yes, you are created so that. you can be useful and do something. True. You are created for this. You know, I even thought about what you said. that one must accept himself before he changes, but... Which makes what you said true. For example, let us say. there is a fifteen-year-old boy in school, who is short and does not grow longer.

So, if we always tell him, “You look like a dwarf, and you are short.”. They make jokes out of him and bully him, he will feel less confident. But the moment he puts in his mind that, “I am short, what are you going to do about it?”. Exactly this confession. “Look how stupid you are in science. You do not even know...” for example. It is done, you got rid of it. The point I am trying to make…. When you become satisfied with yourself, no one has anything to do, that is why bullying happens. for a person who is afraid and has no confidence, and feels this inferiority. So, I mock you, but do you remember school days?

When a person is comfortable with himself, you cannot say anything to him. -Yes. -No one bullies him. But the person who is a little bit shy. and does not know how to speak to girls, they make jokes out of him. It always has a different approach, if you plant inside the very person who is being bullied, the idea that a person who always bullies you. is the one that has something missing. They try to lead it to you.

Like someone being lame. trying to be funny at your expense. Or someone who wants to be strong. because he is weak among the people surrounding him. He will look for the weakest person to bully. This is true, the bully is always the weakest in any case. Like, I once saw a video of a mother and her daughter, she grabbed a dollar and asked her, “What can a dollar buy you?”. She told her that ice cream.

So, she told her that all right, and she folded the dollar like this, all right? She put it and told her to kick and hit it, to do whatever she wants and folded tightly. And to do this and so on. “Open the dollar,” and the daughter opened it again. She asked her, “What can this dollar buy you?”. She replied, “Ice cream.”. She told her that its worth did not change. despite what happened to it, Its worth did not change. It is about delivering these basic concepts.

through examples like this that make them say, "Yes, right, it is the same dollar.". “It did get hit a bit but it is the same dollar.". I talked about this story. because I am a UNICEF ambassador, so I find myself embedded with this thing. -Because this topic is really important. -True. That is why you find me addressing this topic. Nice stories. Okay, a professional question. Why did you disappear from entertainment for so long?

Actually, this disappearance has nothing to do with my mood, Anas. It has to do. with what I will do, all right. Is the thing I am going to do available or not? Is it present or not? Is it half there or does it take time to happen? What are people expecting from you? Are they waiting for anything.

just for you to be present? Or are they waiting for a certain thing. that does have a value? Does it have the minimum. of what they want to see from you? All these are obstacles and things that cause delays. Completing this work, or the idea of getting into a work to film and display it to the people. is the easiest thing, it just has to exist.

Making this thing for it. to be present at first takes time. What are you going to talk about? What do you want to say? Because there are a lot of ordinary films, -True. -And there is no fault in it. I did ordinary films, but what I mean is. about what you say. If I have the opportunity to do an impressive film. and earn this time instead of making an ordinary film. It is better to contribute to an impressive heavy film. Do you understand what I mean? You try to save time for the impressive one. I mean by that the movie that I have a passion for.

You want to be part of it and talk about this thing in this movie. I always stumble upon this bump. That I want to do something. people do not just get impressed by it, I want myself to stay very happy while doing it. To be happy that I want to do it. Something that exhausts you. but makes you want to talk about it. It has become a scourge in society.

that you want to deliver it and…. And I will say again that there will come a time. when it will be over, or the world is not patient enough, and time is running out. No, there is no problem to do. one so smoothly and nicely. His message is only to make others laugh and be happy, I will do it and I did at times. It does not mean I did not do such a movie. when I found nothing. And do you like fame?

This question is very general concerning fame. I surely love and hate it. Sometimes. I love it a lot, while sometimes, I do not like it as much. At the beginning of my life, I loved it a lot. To be someone famous, this, “What is going on? People identify on the street.

and call me out and everything…”. This is spectacular and very nice. Afterward, there is this level of being famous. but what do they tell you? Being famous for just, "Hello, bye?". Or famous and you hear something like, “You do something nicely.”. Or, do you understand? You are famous but it has a lot of categories. Some only meet a famous person just because they are it. So, he greets him just for being famous.

While another one would meet up with someone. famous because he loves him a lot. Do you understand? “I saw someone famous so I took a picture with him.”. “No way! I saw this person who I love a lot.”. Yes, you love him but why? That someone would come and tell you that you give it a value. And someone would come and tell you that you make them laugh so hard. Yes, so the forms of love are different. Because there is someone who will love you very much. but will not like the film because it did not include jokes. Yes, so you will know. Even the forms of love in the work you present vary.

So, you must know the person. heading to you loves you for which reason? For what? And some would love you and tell you that, “What is going on? It is like. you are at home with us.”. “As if you are my brother or cousin and such.”. So, you analyze the reason. Some people like to preserve fame. They want to preserve their fame. Because you want to maintain fame, what shall you do for it to keep growing?

Fire increases with firewood, Fame will increase through work. If you do work just for the sake of fame, opposite of what you were doing, all those who used to love you will run away from you. Because they loved you for A, B, C, D, and E. So, you must keep preserving A, B, C, D, and E reasons. And God grants you a great blessing. If you like the A, B, C, D, E reasons.

You do it because you love it, and you believe that when you do so. They lead you to it because. you do it from the bottom of your heart. At the beginning, I definitely loved fame, but when it became secondary, I thank God it became that. Because I felt that I lost interest in it, and the work entertainment caught my attention. I want, I do not do... I like shooting and impersonating a character,

I do not care about if it is going to be a hit and such, and that I have to stay in this place. and category, and pay attention to…. For those who want to continue. As if you come across this fame station. I was walking and passed by it. and took all the good things out of it. but I had let it go. We will stay in this fame station for so long, what will make you cross it? That your eyes are set on another thing,

they are set on the entertainment and work itself. What will you present to people? It is not just about having money, or to become more famous, or…. This fame at a time was wonderful and beautiful, and at another time a normal thing for me. It is the outcome of what happened, and at another time it took a lot of things. It gave you things but takes. from you, your freedom a little bit.

No doubt, it has to do with other things. True. How is your relationship with money? My relationship with money because I was poor…. I do not want to say something perfect, but... I never dreamt that I would have money someday. when I was in school, during the circumstances I have faced,

or all that happened to us. I worked and tried to save up. I was doing things I love. I was doing things I love. so people would not think that I was suffering; I loved every job I had. I used to paint the glass in cafes and shops. I also worked on theatre props. where I painted them and such, and I also worked in garment printing. Do you understand? I did not have a job that I did not like. because they all involved what I love like,

drawing, design, and such. It was a blessing from God. that I did not have to try other things. So, I have never in my life imagined that I would have money. I never imagined that I would succeed in high school, but I did, thank God. I never dreamed that I would have money someday, but I did. I never thought I would become famous, but I did.

I never sought it though, I never sought it though, like I never took the steps. towards buying an iPhone for example. I always do something before. that leads to the other thing. I give 50% without seeing where it might lead. I went to the Academy of Art, I saw the place, gave it a look, and said. “They are going to force me to leave this place, but I do not want to leave.”. “I want to stay in this place.”.

I do not know what happened. I had seen it once when I was younger. and did not know what it was, but I liked the place. I saw it when I was in 7th grade. Days went by and four years later, I came back to the same place. that I liked when I was in 7th grade. or maybe in 6th grade or something; we were in the area near the Academy of Arts. Days passed by, I went to the place and I did not know what it was. I did not know what it was. then I found out that it was the same place.

I said, “I will not get out of here.”. “This place is my temple.”. What do you want? It does not matter what I want. or what will it be, you know? I insisted, studied, took exams, grew my skills, and all of that. because I wanted it. I took a test with 3000 students and ended up the 8th. because I was doing something I love.

This thing brought the next, then the next, and so on. God loves me because I always did things I love. or He sent the things I love my way. I never imagined I would have money, but I wanted it. although I did not seek it, do you know what I mean? I was not like, “Let us start a business.”. I did one thing and saw the other coming. It was honestly like that. It worked out for me this way.

It made me adapt the idea of. ‘do not plan it.’. I never know how much I have in here. or how much is in here and such; It became like fame. When I first gained money, I was like, “What is this? Money!”. “What is this? I bought a car.”. “What is it? I have money.”. So what if I have a lot of money? Thank God, it did not turn into the primary thing that I care about.

I did not obsess over gaining money and such. I never dreamed about having money. and I had enough to live comfortably. so I did not want to linger on it. I did not linger on it because I would have obsessed like, what am I going to do? Which movies should I work on? What should I do? It is like a mirage, the more you try to reach it, you cannot, but you keep pursing it. and you will stop at many different stations.

Thank God that He granted me money, but it is not what is important in my life. I sat down with Mona and heard her opinion, but I would like to hear yours. on the meaning of love, what does it mean? Many people say. after many years of marriage or such,

they say that love faded or changed like, “He does not love me anymore” or such. I heard something once, it was a conversation in a movie. Someone differentiated between the stages of love. Why are the first moments full of attraction, passion, art, and meetings,

then when people get married, it becomes…. As he said, it is simply because the first stage. is the stage where you are falling in love. It is not love, but it is falling in love. until you do actually fall in love. When you fall in love, you stabilize. Some people mix up this stage. and they are like, “This is love.”. No, you are falling in love. What comes next is not like what happened before.

They think about it the wrong way like, “He does not love me anymore.”. No, I was falling in love with you. until we fell in love and this is actual love. What comes next and carries on is love. When I translated it, I said, “It is normal.”. There is a stranger and another stranger. and those two strangers meet. They are two unknown people as if it were a movie. and you do not know its events or anything about it. So, you have the passion and the focus to know everything.

Someone once said, “We should not say fall in love, but rise on love.”. -Because he means falling... -He said it in English, fall in love not rise in love. Okay. It is a nice idea to rise or reach to love. because love can be a positive thing. It is possible. -I agree with your idea though. -Rain falls from clouds. Also, true. Rain is nice and water is nice not everything…. It is normal to fall. Yes, it is normal to descend.

Who judged descending as a bad thing? Also, true. -we just… -It does not have to be negative, indeed. Yes, we decide the value of a term in itself. You have been married for over 20 years, right? Since 2002. How amazing, over 20 years. Marriage in one word, what would you choose? Marriage is... It is another life.

What do you mean? I mean that you step into a different life entirely. You would be living a life. and then you would step into a different life. In the end, you cannot say…. This is called life and this is called life. You cannot say the second life is worse than the first life. or the first life is worse than the second life. All right, in your experience, what is a secret or maybe not a secret, but an important point.

in a marriage that is supposed. to be happy and healthy, what is the most important thing? Reaching the third language. What does that mean? between a man and a woman. A man speaks a language. and a woman speaks a different language. As long as he tries. to take on her language, he will not understand it. As long as she is tries to understand his language, she will not understand it. This one is French and the other is English, they are two different languages.

There is a third language that is mutual. There is a third language that is mutual. You have to learn her language and she has to learn your language. A man is a catalogue that is created that way, do you know what I mean? A woman is a catalogue that God created this way. He created her this way so do not try to change her. This shirt has buttons on the left…. This over this is for men and this over this is for women, which is known and that is it. I mean that this is how the design works.

The idea is when you know the catalogue. and you can read a woman’s menu, and she can read a man’s menu, she would know that this button does not turn him on, this button turns him off, or this button burns him and this button releases ice. This button is not the right one, you know? You will keep pressing the wrong buttons. because you are waiting for something different. She will keep pressing the wrong buttons. because she is looking for something different.

No, you should know what each button does. The hard part is that the buttons are unmarked, you know? There are simple examples like when a woman says that. do not assume the role of a therapist when she comes home. upset because of her boss. or because she fought with her friend. As soon as you cross your legs, assume the role of a therapist, and you say to her…. You assume the role of a therapist.

and that you know everything. You would especially be throwing gasoline. onto the fire when you say, “I told you from the beginning that this woman is this or that.”. Be sure that she is going to close the curtain and say, “All right, all right.”. “I will go check on the food.”. For you, you would interpret the act differently like, “Am I not allowed to voice my opinion?”. You would trail behind her and continue by saying, “Do you not want to hear me out? I am advising you.”.

You have just injected a deep poison. At times, a woman does not need you to assume the role of a therapist. She just wants you to say, “Yes, darling. What happened then?”. Just listen, shut up and listen, “What happened after that?”. Until she had said everything she was holding inside. and vented completely. That is what she needs at that moment. She does not want anything at all. and she does not want my opinion. As soon as she is done,

you can say, “What do you think?”. “What do you think?”. and then you can state your opinion. This is a language. When a man comes home upset, and she asks, “What is wrong with you?”. Something entails that you need to let a man enter his cave first. As long as he comes back like that, let him enter his cave. Let him enter his cave for 10 or 15 minutes, and rest assured that he will come out and tell you everything.

Some women are like “What is wrong with you?”. and he does not say anything although he wants to, then she overhears him talking to his friend like, “At work today, I do not know what I am going to do. and I just do not know.”. That is just his catalogue, but she thinks that she is not important in his life, and that he preferred telling his friend over her like, “How do you talk to him, but not to me?”. Or he talks to his mother, you know? Behave as if you have not heard anything, he will twist and turn, then come back to you like,

“Today at work…”. He will tell you everything and ask for your opinion. A woman needs to know the idea that a man needs to enter his cave. If he comes back upset, you need to leave him for 10 minutes and then return. A man needs to know when a woman. needs to vent without him assuming the role of a therapist. If a woman is sitting next to a man in a car. and they are lost in the middle of nowhere. She says, “Ask for direction.”. And she insists like, “Ask.”. “I will.”. “Ask.” She begins getting angry, “Why are not asking anyone?”.

He starts thinking about it like, “Am I not a man or what?”. It feels like a blow to his pride. When you actually translate the situation, the other person is…. This is scientific talk; it is not rhetorical. You can find it in the book. ‘Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus.’. The woman’s action in this case translates. into her being worried for him. and the children. She is scared, but that is how she expresses it. She will not say, “Darling, I am worried about you.”. No, this is her way.

He translates this action, which he receives differently from its internal meaning; the exterior is different from the interior. So, he receives it as she does not trust him and as, “I am not a man.”. As well as, “Do you not feel like you are with a man or what?”. So she gets angry. When she gets angry, it is like a fire. She gets angry and he gets angry, and it is like a fire. If I know how to translate it into, “She is worried about me.”. My reaction would be to ease her mind and not. find it offensive to my pride. “Rest assured I will ask right now.”. “I will ask the first person I see.”.

It is normal if he does this, “Excuse me, how can I get to this place?”. You will see that she has calmed down completely. So, what I am saying is. the exterior is one thing and the interior is another. A man has an exterior and an interior. When you are like, “I know your exterior. and I will treat you according to it.”. What will you find? This is the third language; you will find the world at peace. Nice. This by itself is a clip. I feel like I am going to reveal a rabbit out of my pocket.

I like it. Ahmed, do you see yourself as a good father? To an extent. Okay. A father has practical obligations that he must do, but he remains a father on the inside like…. Some things inside you like, worrying over your children are natural, you do not do them.

So, there is a part that was created by God. and there are materialistic obligations, -I do not mean materialistic like… -Responsibilities. Responsibilities like, “Where is he going to go to school?”. We want him to receive a good education. So, I feel like yes, my relationship is good with my children. I am not the type of father. that is like this. Let us play by luck? Do you have the card game? Give it to me. -Let us go. -I will give you one of these.

-Okay. -But let us see what your fate holds. All right. Mix them. Mix. -Should I mix them like… -Give me one. -from the café under your apartment. -Yes, that is what I meant. -It was dominoes and backgammon café, -Yes. and not…. -Wait, I am going to try to… -You do not play cards a lot in Egypt? -We do. -Yes. -He is the first one to do this move for the record. -See? Okay, I will only choose one. -Okay. -First one. Let us know your luck.

Okay. I will ask the question, and then you roll it. -All right. -What do you spend most of your money on? -Should I roll it here? -Roll it. -So, this is how you will answer. -Okay. Flip, which means I will be answering it. -All right. -But let us both answer it. Give it to me. -All right. -You answer first. What do you spend most of your money on? I spend most of my money on…. -The most thing? -What do you spend your money on?

Probably on a car. On a car? Yes, cars. Okay, you love cars? I love how they look and whatnot, but I do not know their characteristics, no. -I like how they look. -Okay. I love how a car looks. I am not a pro in types. So, I believe I spend most of my money on them. -because cars are very expensive anyway. -True. So, even if I try to be economical. For me, aside from responsibilities, it is on clothes. -I love clothes. -Okay.

This is spending. Okay. I told you that you will not find something with me, -and the, “Who are you?” like… -Yes, true, exactly. -Yes, will not find anything. -Cars, watches, or I do not know what, you will not find anything whatsoever. Okay, are you happy? Thank God. Do you think you are a happy person? Do I think I am a happy person? Yes, for the most part, I am happy. Okay. The waves or curves refer to yes. The waves or curves refer to yes.

What. was the most embarrassing situation that happened to you? The most embarrassing situation? Situation…. An embarrassing situation that happened to me. Besides the day you told Mona you love her, and she did not reply to you for 5 days. This is something else. This is not embarrassing. This is you waiting like, “Now what?”.

No, there are many little embarrassing situations, but…. There is probably…. Sometimes when a person gets embarrassed, they get hurt. They get disappointed. No, like…. All the situations really. feel like they are comedic situations, -and not… -Then tell us a comedy one. Yes, we were once travelling, me, Mona, and our friend, and we were in Paris. And we were going to ride.

the metro, so, he discovered that his wallet was not with him. “What? My wallet is not on me? I forgot it? No, it was on me”. “I was…”, “Where did the money go?”. Anyways, at the end, he was like, “It got stolen in the hotel”. So, we went back to the hotel, all right? Mona could not find something as well, I do not know, a top or something. So, we thought that the hotel was stealing our things. So, we went back…. And it is a good hotel, we were not in a sh*tty place I swear.

It was a good and respectable hotel. So, we got back and made. a problem. “Where is the manager? Bring the man”, and “She got stolen before, and I got stolen as I put the money there” and all of this. The man came and brought the man. who is responsible for such matters and has been in the hotel for 20 years, and he was about to cry and whatnot. My friend speaks French, and I would tell him,

and he would translate to the man what would happen. “We are going to call the police”. And suddenly, my friend discovered that the wallet. was in his pocket. So, of course, we thanked God. that they were both French, you know? So, he told me, “Helmy, the wallet is in my pocket”. So, I told him, “Act as if we were still fighting. and still stolen. Did you find the wallet in your pocket?”.

He told me, “Yes”. I told him, “Didn’t I tell you not to do this?”. “Say…”. So, he told me, “Yes, I found the wallet in my pocket”. You know? So, we started…. “What are we going to do now. in this sh*tty situation?”. “We have to stick to our stance”. “No, this cannot be because the wallet is here and if the police arrived, it would be a problem”. -We were fighting as if -Yes. it was all for…. So, they see angry people from the outside and they are shouting. “All right, I think that we should now say that all is forgiven, and may God compensate us for the loss of the wallet,”.

and whatnot, “and I will pat on your shoulder now and tell you anything”. So, I got up and started acting like, “Calm down, what can we do?”. “Calm down” and whatnot. He told me some words. So, he talked to the manager. in French telling him that if it was not for me, he would not have calmed down, that it was not a problem, and that we felt pity for this man. They got out and closed the door, and we laughed hysterically. But it was a very embarrassing situation because he said, “The wallet is in…” at the peak of the situation.

like, are we going to stick to our stance. or end this or what should we do? And we kept going like this till the end. Okay. Who is someone you feel sad when you remember? -When? -You remember. Yes, I get sad when I remember them? Somebody you lost. My father. You were in university when he, God rest his soul, passed away. Okay. If… What is your father’s name?

Muhammad. My father’s name is Muhammad Helmy. It is a compound name. Okay. So, if, because he had missed a lot from your life, he did not see many of your achievements, -No. -your children, but just your first daughter for 3 years? If your father is in the other room where we were sitting,

and you have a few minutes with him, what would you tell him? How many minutes were you saying? Let it be…. Let it be a sentence then. Let it be a sentence.

I once wrote to him. a dedication in the only book I wrote. I wrote to him, “Dad, do you see. me like I always see you in my dreams?”. Like…. My father is like.

a tree. You know? Yes, the tree died, but all its roots are deeply rooted inside me. You feel your dad’s roots inside you. even if you are the one nurturing them. This is real. And one of the things that….

I feel very sad for him because he. suffered. Like…. He was, for me, the most important person, and I said it before, the source of hope in my life due to his suffering, and that there is nothing impossible, and that. having great faith in God is very important,

and believing this. because I felt like he was all the time…. He was moderately religious. He was not an extremist or would. pray randomly. No, he was. moderate. He loved God so much, and God loved him. In all life’s situations, I have never seen him.

unsatisfied. Impossible. He never said anything but, “Thank God”. When somebody would do something, he would tell them, “May God forgive you”. When he lost his money, somebody came to our house to give him a gift, I do not want to say a bribe but a gift. He dismissed him. politely. He did not even….

He dismissed him politely. And when he got angry after the man left, I asked him, I was young, so, he explained to me that this man wanted something done at work. Yes, I believe that my father. did not enjoy his youth. After he had done the operation, he got back, and he lost his money.

He was not affected. at all. neither with us nor life. But there was. impoverishment. He never…. We knew the situation, but…. He underwent open-heart surgery. He was supposed to get out well. He got out with a side effect. in the diaphragm that causes something. like a hiccup. He stayed with it for 12 years.

12 years. of not being able to say a full sentence. without having this very painful feeling. Like how can a person. live like this without getting mad? He did not get mad at his situation. He did not get mad at us. He would go out as much as he could,

buy the groceries, and spend time with us. Someone does not sleep for one night, they become angry and short-tempered. He lived with this. And when you see him, you feel pain and you are helpless. And he would not talk about it. And then he got. cancer.

That is it. So, I did not get to enjoy with him. Even the time I was with him, he was ill. So, that is why I am telling you. that the life that was supposed to be lived, it was not. the best. So, I will go back to the. positive side.

of the story. that “there is a wisdom behind this”. There is something called. patience. There is something called a test, and. endless satisfaction. There is something…. That is why I am telling you. an operation that takes 6 hours. or 7, was done to him in 3 hours. as if there was wisdom the doctor did not understand.

As close as he was to God. when he was under anesthesia, he was reciting Quran. There were some things that. I discovered after his death that he had done many things. he did not tell us or my mother or anybody at all about. He had told his brother. So, there is… you know? Struggles but they make you stronger.

It is a journey. mixed feelings of being helpless. and not being able to do anything, wishing you would but you are not able to, and the lost times and the times you wish would come back. That is why I am telling you. that I get very happy when I dream of him. That is all, so, I would tell him. that... God rest your soul. Oh, God.

God rest his soul. The father. -You did not get enough of him. -I did not get to. That is why I am telling you, I wish I could go back. to living with them. We do not know. We do not know, you might. What does Mona mean to you?

Many things as well. Like… you know? Our story is crazy. Crazy. with all its details. Usually when people.

change things in each other, they do not last. They usually do not bear, or comprehend, so, they burst. But I discovered that. when we changed things in each other, the change. turned out to be healthy. And later, we discovered that. we did not change something.

that is very important to us. On the contrary, you changed something that hindered things. which was replaced by, as you say, a new system or extra that pushes forward. There are many stages in my life that she was responsible for. Stages. on a human level,

and on the professional and artistic level. She contributed big time to this. Big time. And it is real what they say. that behind every great man there is a woman. that is supposedly greater. because like…. So, she. has a huge amount of authenticity. that she passed on me in a world where you are required to be, I do not want to say lying, but at least fawning.

It is how to be that person. It is how to stay true to yourself and with other people, not harming anyone and no one is harming you, and not fawning. You say the truth. as it should be, but nicely, or whatever. So, there is a part that is related to being. straight forward. I always say that.

the man is the supporter. Really. The man is the supporter, but the woman is also a supporter. And she is a big and very important supporter. I was just telling you that languages should be understood, and that the man has to understand the woman’s language. and the woman has to understand the man’s language. When you understand this language, you know how to be her supporter in her own language, and she knows how to be your supporter in your language.

because…. So, she is a true supporter. For real, in many things. So, she represents the. crystal ball. that I live inside and see myself through. Like…. A hypothetical question. Your children’s.

names are Lilly, -Selim, and Younis. -and Younis. Okay, God bless them. God bless you. The hypothetical question is, God willing, after a long life, when you are on your bed taking your last breaths, and each person you love and care about, your children, Mona, and anybody Ahmed loves are there,

and you have. a few seconds or less than a minute to tell them something. before you are gone. So, this is a blessing. It is a blessing to have the opportunity to tell them something. And I want you to think that your children. would go back to this video, Okay. even now, it is not a hypothetical question, -after me and you are gone, -Okay. Okay. -YouTube might still be there, -Okay. -and they open it, -Okay.

and anytime life hits them, or they are in hardship, they would go back to their dad for these. few seconds. What do you think it is in those last moments. that you want to tell them? All right, initially, I would. tell them that anybody who is not here at this moment. should never feel guilty even for a second,

no matter what the reason was. Never. Never, for anybody who is not in this gathering. in these last moments that I will not be here after, feel guilty that they are not present, or cry, or. tear up when they see this.

because really. it does not matter to me at all. This does not bother me at all that you are not here. because surely there is a reason. But if you were all here, I would like to tell. I would like to tell. Lilly that….

“Girls. are very important creatures that God created. They are very important in our lives. Know your value. as much as you can. Never let anybody that does not have the right to do you wrong. Be as strong as you can, and do whatever you wish.

Do all that you love. And do not give up anything for. anybody. And when you get married and have children, you do not have to name the children after my name at all. It does not matter. Name him whatever you want.”.

I would tell. Selim, “I want you. to listen to your mind. more than your emotions. You have to understand that life has the good and bad, and the bad that looks good. Love yourself.

Do not get influenced. by anything. Do not keep thinking that the world should be a platonic. and perfect one. because as God created angels, he created devils. Be strong, but. anytime you felt like crying, cry. Never hold back your tears.”.

I would tell Younis, “You. arrived at a time. where I wish I could be a little younger. I try to act like a child when I am with you at this age. And honestly, I compensated, or managed to compensate a little. or be a little satisfied towards this point. I feel like I am really younger.

than my age when I am playing with you. When you watch all that I said in the episode, you might think that because I did not get to spend enough time. with my father at that age and time, so, I compensated with you, yes. because one learns from their life experiences. and compensates it to or through their children. And I hope that you will not be hot-tempered,

and lower your hot temper a little. And the person I want you to love the most, who would be your supporter after me, is your brother. Your older brother. Do not mistake his kindness. for weakness. So, take care of him and rely on him.”. Who is left? Mona is left.

“I think. the best thing. is that what I am going to say now. is kind of selfish, but. I would be. happy that it is me lying here and not you, and that I am the one leaving and not you. because I. cannot imagine nor I would ever want to imagine.

the moment when we could exchange places. And this is selfish, I know, that. I do not want to go through this but it is fine if you do, but. as hard as this is, I can never imagine that. I could see her, or just come lay beside me, and nobody has to see anybody leaving.”.

And the last wish I would make is to meet my dad. This would make leaving easier. that I will surely see my dad. God willing. How do you want to be remembered, Ahmed?

You would be surprised if I told you that. I want the people that would remember me. to not be. the people who watch me. I wish that all the people who would remember me. would be the ones I met in situations that are unrelated. to them sitting on a cinema or theatre seat. I met many people in my life. I have relationships with them. in many aspects. And these are the ones I always want to see at my funeral.

Faces of people that nobody knows. “Who is this?”. “We do not know”. “Who is this?” “We do not know”. Like…. I always see this picture. And with every person I try to help with something. even with a friendship or something, I always imagine the people. who know me very well asking, “Who is this?”. “We do not know. He is just here”, and that he would not say anything and then leave. And I believe that these are the people we see.

in our acquaintances’ funerals and we do not know them. These are people who have a relationship. with the deceased. that nobody knows about. These are also the same people me. and my brother asked about at my father’s funeral. We did not know them. They were people from Tanta, Mansoura, and from…. We did not even know who they were. until my uncle told us about them.

So, I wish that my funeral would be full of, or I managed to have some of, the people. who would make people ask, “Who are these people?”, and just fans. Last question. Ahmed in one word. Energy. Energy. Why?

I feel like we are energies in this life. Like…. You are created to. do something. This thing. might. make people around you happy. and make you happy personally. It might personally make you happy first, using this energy in something. that makes you happy and makes you feel like you are. rising and making your soul happy,

so, people around you would be happy. I feel like this is energy. And once it dies out, that is it, you are gone, and this energy is gone, you know? It is a gleam. that appears and…. True. It appears and then disappears. So, I think anybody doing something revealed or unrevealed. in a way they love, or an approach they love, I feel like this is an energy.

A powerful person. A power that makes people happy or a power that…. This is true. So, I hope to be an energy, and the best energy. I hope I was, or to become, or stay like this until this energy is present. Thank you. -Thank you, Anas. -Thank you. Thank you, guys. Thank you. What, Mr.?

Okay? Okay.