Egyptian Actor Mona Zaki Takes on the Iconic Role of Umm Kulthum

It took Egyptian actor Mona Zaki more than a year’s preparation to take on the hardest role of her career — the iconic singer Umm Kulthum, a legend in the Arab world. Marwan Hamed’s ‘El Sett’ (‘The Lady’) premiered this week at the Marrakech International Film Festival, where Zaki told AFP about the daunting task she faced. ‘I was very scared at the beginning,’ she said. ‘I didn’t know where to start.’ Zaki is one of Egypt’s more recognisable actors but her fears were not unfounded.