The “Balto” series is one of the most successful and famous recent comedies, that has attracted many audiences and age groups.
It is also one of the most important works that has shed light on an important idea, which is that comedy does not necessarily have to be based on jokes or memes, nor trending comics on social media.
The series was trending with every episode shown until it ended.
However, it was a surprise when Al-Masry Al-Youm met with the makers, including the author and director, and the actors who all emphasized the idea of not expecting success.
They believed the success was largely due to teamwork.
As for the author, Ahmed Atef Fayyad, he told Al-Masry Al-Youm that “Balto” series was one of the most difficult experiences because it was about his life story.
Fayyad added: “But everyone encouraged me including Issam al-Muhandis, Issam Omar, and the production company. Everyone urged me to continue. We were keen that the comedy be based on situations, and not jokes or kitsch. My goal from [Balto] was not success, but was to present a work that we are satisfied with.”
Essam Omar, who played the hero’s role, Dr. Atef, said that the series was also a difficult experience for him, adding that at the beginning he was thinking of refusing to take part in the series in general.
Omar said: “At first, I refused to play the role three times because I was afraid of the role, but after talking with the author Ahmed Atef Fayyad, I got excited to participate, and started to prepare for the character. I read the script first and then the book ‘Balto, Flannel And Tab’ written by the author Ahmed Atef, and I got more excited. We filmed the entire work in 40 days, and I never thought it would succeed to that extent.”
Young actress Maryam Mahmoud al-Guindy, who plays the role of Hagar in the series, said she did not expect the work to succeed to this degree, adding: “When I learned about the role, I was sure that it would not suit anyone other than me, and I felt that I should play, not anybody else.”
She added though: “I felt very happy and very afraid because the story was different and interesting, and I did not expect that the series would succeed in this degree and in this way.”
Sulafa Ghanem, who played the role of a nurse named Miss Helmeya, commented: “To choose the way Miss Helmya wore her veil, we searched for a full 24 hours. And we prepared for the character in two months. When we were filming in general we did not deal with the situations as comical, but we thought about the situation seriously, as we all felt responsible for the desire to present a work close to the heart of the audience.”
“We felt a great responsibility after the success of the work, as we did not expect it to succeed to this degree. Our goal was only to attract the audience through the first two episodes, but after the success of the work, we all felt afraid of the next step. I was afraid of making a comic work at the beginning, because it is the most difficult genre,” director Omar al-Mohandes, said.
“Our goal through the work was to return to the old form of comedy based on situations, after putting a person with certain capabilities in situations that he could not handle, to see what would happen next,” he added.
