At 89, legendary Syrian film star Duraid Lahham is keeping busy

The evolution of Ghawwar

"The character of Ghawwar emerged gradually after the failure of the initial character that I portrayed back in 1960. This character, a Spanish guitarist named Carlos, failed to resonate with the Syrian audience when it first appeared on the screen in 1960 on the day of the launch of the Syrian Television during the Syrian-Egyptian union," he said.

"People reached out to Dr. Sabah Qabbani — the director of Syrian Television and brother of poet Nizar Qabbani — requesting him to pull the plug on Carlos as he was neither relatable nor aligned with them and their culture."

The failure weighed heavily on Lahham, as he put everything on the line for it.

"Prior to that point in time, I was a chemistry professor at Damascus University — a respected and esteemed profession that I decided to leave behind in pursuit of art. Unfortunately, my initial foray into the world of art discouraged me."

Lahham began to brainstorm a new character that would more accurately embody the realities of everyday life — enter Ghawwar. The character donned the traditional red fez, wooden clogs, and trousers — the typical attire in the old neighbourhoods of the Levant during that era.

"The inspiration for the character's name came from a guard stationed at the gates of the Syrian Television named Ghawwar al-Jadaan, hailing from the Golan region. Ghawwar first made his appearance in the Damascus Evening paintings in the fall of 1960 before making his way onto Lebanese programmes and ultimately landing the show, "Maqalib Ghawwar" (Ghawwar's Pranks) alongside my esteemed partner, the late Nihad Kalai, who played the character of Hosny Al-Borazan."

Lahham and Kalai visited the Syrian Television management with the script for the series "Maqalib Ghawwar." Interestingly, the series was rejected in Syria but accepted in Lebanon, where it was first produced with Lahham, Kalai, and their colleague Rafiq Subaie as the only Syrian actors in the cast.

After the success of the Lebanese version, the Syrian Television requested a Syrian version of it to be made in Damascus. One thing led to another and the series "Hammam El Hanna," based on a Russian novel from the palaces of Tsar Nicholas II and adapted to take place in the streets of Damascus, was released in 1968.

On one occasion, then-Prime Minister Yusuf Zuayyin observed that several ministers were conspicuously absent from the government's weekly meetings. Upon inquiring about the cause, he was informed that the scheduling of the meeting clashed with the airing time of "Hammam El Hanna."

Faced with the dilemma of either rescheduling the cabinet meeting or altering the airing time of the series, a decision was made to change the timing of cabinet meeting.

A larger-than-life character

Ghawwar El Toshe was featured in several works of the Lahham/Kalai duo. Simply including his name in the titles of some movies was enough to generate interest and secure distribution in the Arab world, even if the character was not actually featured.

"We employed the same tactic in theatre productions. The play "Day'at Tishreen" (October Village) originally featured a character named Abu Saleh as the protagonist, but he was replaced with Ghawwar when the play was adapted for television to make it more appealing to the audience in the Arab Gulf."

In "Wadi al-Misk" (The Misk Valley), Ghawwar spoke in a Gulf dialect, infused with a mix of Iraqi, Libyan, Lebanese, and Tunisian, while his earlier works were associated with the Syrian dialect familiar to Arab audiences.

Retiring the character

Ghawwar El Toshe made his final on-screen appearance in the series "Awdat Ghawwar" (The Return of Ghawwar) in 1998. Lahham had gradually phased out the character from his work since the early 1980s, in favour of more serious roles that were reflective of his age and purposeful political work.

Reflecting on the character, Lahham stated, "Ghawwar is a fiery boy from the old alleys of the Levant with simple dreams of singing in a café or obtaining a meal through dubious means.

His antics were no longer relevant in the modern world, as the character would need to resort to robbing a bank rather than simply stealing an apple to fit in."

"I am older now and can no longer play Ghawwar. I was a young 26-year-old man when I first played the role, but now I'm approaching my nineties and I believe it's best to let Ghawwar's legacy live on in the memories of Arab viewers. The Ghawwar you knew and loved is long gone."

In a serendipitous discovery a few months ago, Lahham stumbled upon lost radio works from the early 1980s that featured the character Ghawwar, as well as Nihad Kalai, and even Yasser al-Azma in "Ghawwar Yakhtarek Aljidar" (Ghawwar Breaks Through the Wall).

These works were retrieved from the archives of Radio Damascus and subsequently made available to the public on Lahham's official Facebook and YouTube pages in early 2023.

An illustrious career

"Back in 1964, producers Tahsin Kawadri and Nader Atassi made a decision to bring "Akd Al Lulu" (The Pearl Necklace) play to the big screen. Originally penned in 1961 to honour the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Syrian Television during the Syrian-Egyptian union, the play featured myself alongside Nihad Kalai and Fahd Ballan."

"But the film's producer was hesitant because Kilai and I were only known to audiences in Syria and Lebanon at the time. To ensure wider distribution, the producer suggested that the renowned Sabah join the cast. I even expressed that it would be a dream come true for us to act alongside 'Sabouha' on the big screen."

Sabah eagerly agreed to the project. "Akd Al Lulu," their first cinematic production, enjoyed remarkable success and ran in theatres for an entire year. Following this initial achievement, Lahham went on to star alongside renowned Arab actors such as Samir Ghanem, Nabila Obaid, Shadia, Mariam Fakhr Eddine, Naglaa Fathi, Nadia Lutfi, Kamal El-Shinnawi, Farid Shawqi, and others.

He says that one of his most memorable experiences was acting alongside Faten Hamama in Youssef Chahine's "Rimal Min Zahab" (Sands of Gold).

Lahham also maintained a good relationship with Egypt's leading stars, particularly Abdel Halim Hafez, who would stay at his house during his visits to Damascus. In 1984, Lahham 's career reached new heights with the release of "Al Hodoud" (The Borders). The movie — which Lahham directed and co-starred in with Raghda, a Syrian artist residing in Egypt — was a game-changer and also ran in theatres for a full year.

Unfinished project with Adel Imam

Lahham recalls: "The movie "Al Hodoud" was screened in the Carthage Film Festival, attended by the esteemed Adel Imam. I remember him expressing his desire to make a similar movie. Inspired, we embarked on a joint project titled "Al Hodoud 2: Watan Fee al-Sama" (The Borders 2: A Homeland in the Sky), as a sequel to the first movie.

The movie was set to feature the hijacking of a passenger plane in the skies of the Arab world, but unfortunately, it never materialised. Instead, a radio series produced by the Egyptian radio Voice of the Arabs was released in 2001 as a sequel to "Al Hodoud," titled "Abdel-Wadood Ala Al Hodoud" (Abdel-Wadood on the Borders), featuring Lahham, Raghda, and Ahmed Rateb.

Breaking the siege

In the mid-1980s, despite strained relations between Syria and Egypt following the Camp David Accords and Egypt's suspension from the League of Arab States, "Al Hodoud" was extended an invitation to take part in the Cairo International Film Festival.

"We decided to participate and break the siege of brotherly Egypt. The reception from the Egyptian public was overwhelming, with crowds flocking the streets of Cairo to catch a glimpse of "Al Hodoud" after hearing of its success in Tunisia. The halls were packed with Egyptian university students who warmly welcomed the team with the national anthem of the United Arab Republic — a federation of Egypt and Syria."

In 1990, after bilateral relations between the two countries were restored, Lahham took part in the first-ever festival of children's cinema in Egypt. His film "Kafroun" competed with Disney's "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" and emerged victorious, winning the prestigious gold award. "Kafroun" continued to captivate audiences in cinemas for a full year.