Cinema is, undoubtedly, all about characters. If the characters are relatable and portrayed brilliantly, fans connect with them on a different level. Sure, actors play an important role in making characters unforgettable, and without them, many iconic characters would have been simply footnotes in the annals of cinema.

Luckily for us, we have tons of such culturally impactful characters! Who hasn’t come across a modern “Si El-Sayed” or even a “Nabila Metwaly El-Kholy” student in their lives? Well, everyone has! Check out some of our favourite memorable characters in Egyptian cinema and their effect on our pop culture.

1-     Hanafy El-Obbaha (Hanafy El-Obbaha)

via Twitter

Adel Emam has influenced our culture by portraying several notable characters who will remain forever relevant. Most of his characters are remembered for their jokes, storylines, or even just their presence. However, the character of Hanafy El-Obbaha is solely remembered for his outfit! Some may not even remember what the movie was about, but the head-to-toe denim look will forever live in our minds.

2-     Tarek Kabo (El-Basha Telmeez)

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We all grew up watching El-Basha Telmeez, so it’s not surprising that this movie gave us a whole new perspective on college life in Egypt! Characters like Hamza, Engy, and Maya are what we thought we would find in college. Some of us actually did encounter similar characters. However, we ended up finding a lot of people like Tarek Kabo, especially in student activities! Who hasn’t met a show-off student who acts like they own the place?

3-     Nageeba Metwaly El-Kholy (El-Thalatha Yashtghlonaha)

via Hon El-Wattan

High school (thanaweya ‘ama) is one of the hardest things that Egyptians go through in their educational journey. For example, if you choose humanities, you need an excellent memory to remember all the details of every subject! However, some of us are skilled enough to memorise all the information and get the highest grades, and whenever we hear about these people, we instantly think of Nageeba Metwaly El-Kholy. Surely, Yasmin Abdel-Aziz was overdoing the geek character in the movie, but we can’t help but keep referencing it!

4-     Atef (El-Nazer)

via E3lam

Who hasn’t heard the name “Atef” and thought of Ahmed Helmy’s character in El-Nazer? We all definitely did! The name has been associated with the personality of a super chill person, and we have all met a couple of Atefs in our time. Needless to say, this movie introduced a new level of comedy that will always remain impactful on our Egyptian culture.

5-     El-Lembi (El-Lembi Movie Franchise)

via YouTube

It all started with glimpses of Mohamed Saad’s timeless character El-Lembi in El-Nazer. It was our first time seeing such a bizarre character in Egyptian cinema, but it was definitely not the last! Mohamed Saad created a bunch of movies with El-Lembi as the main character, with all of his portrayals being incredibly successful. We didn’t know how much we love physical comedy before this character was brought to life, did we?