THIS SEASONS HIT Grand Hotel has roots in the Spanish drama series that was directed by Carlos Sedes. The original was a mystery/romance that took place in an aristocratic hotel at the turn of the Century. The series was immensely popular and was picked up by other countries who remade it with their own domestic spin. There is an Italian version and a Russian version. This year, it is the best show to come out of Ramadan 2016. The series is the work of producer Mohammad Mashish and director Mohamed Shaker Khedeir. It is co-produced by Beelink Productions and Eagle Films. The Arabic version is set in the 1950s at the time of British rule with Egypt being a protectorate. The location is a luxury hotel in Aswan — near the great temples and ruins of Karnak and Abu Simbel. The series has the look and feel of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile or Murder on the Orient Express. The atmosphere is lush, period and elegant. The clothing styles are the height of the couture era so there is lots of couture inspired looks by Dior, Jacque Fath and Molyneux. Director Mohamed Shaker Khedeir chose Sofitel’s historic Old Cataract Hotel located on the Nile as the backdrop for the production. The hotel itself has been just completed a three-year meticulous restoration and this production highlights much of the restoration.
PLOTTING TO KEEP YOU INTERESTED The story begins with Ali, played by Amr Youssef, visiting the hotel to find his sister who has gone missing. She has been working as a maid at the hotel but has mysteriously vanished. No one at the hotel can tell him anything so he takes a job at the hotel to find to his missing sister. While working as a waiter, he meets Nazly, the hotel owner’s younger daughter played by Amina Khalil. The show captures attention instantly and doesn’t let go. Ali and Nazly have grabbed the imaginations of viewer with their on-screen romance. Amr Youssef and Amina Khalil have become a media frenzy in the social media in their portrayal of a couple from different social classes caught in a difficult romance. It has generated an enormous amount of positive feedback on various online platforms as the series mixes old school romance with timeless human relations. Grand Hotel is a version of a Downton Abbey type of programming but with more suspense and much more intrigue. While the over arching theme is a mystery, it is complex web of human relationships and a portrayal of the many aspects and types of love. It is a multi-layered drama that is a masterpiece of complex writing. We watch relationships of mothers/ daughters, mothers/sons, husbands/wives, family honor as well as romantic longing done with complete conviction and sincerity. Actors portray characters with subtle nuances that lend accuracy and depth towards relationships involved in trust and deception. It is a series that keeps the viewer
The filming of Grand Hotel