Karim Kassem Opens Up About “Welad Rizk” Trilogy

From the Beginning to the Third Part

Egyptian actor Karim Kassem did not expect the film “Welad Rizk” to continue for three parts when he agreed to participate in the work more than 10 years ago. He stated that the author Salah Al-Jahini was the only one who viewed the work as a project in which he would build his own world through events that would witness various developments.

Filming the Third Part

In his interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Qassem revealed the behind-the-scenes of filming the third part of the movie in Riyadh, and how the action scenes exhausted the heroes, stressing that “beginning filming the movie without agreements or details about the work was not an adventure for him, because there is trust and familiarity between him and director Tariq Al-Aryan and the rest of the work team, and a conviction in his ability to present a more successful movie than the previous parts.”

A shot from the movie (Welad Rizk 3) (his Facebook account)

Developing the Character

During the new part, Qassem was keen to develop the character of “Ramadan” that he plays, such as showing his maturity and his greater involvement with his brothers in the operations they carry out, in a way that is consistent with his physical features that are different from theirs.

Challenges and Difficulties

The Egyptian actor faced many difficulties during the filming of the third part, including the action scenes that appeared in the events, specifically the scene of him going up the cable car to catch up with his brothers during their escape inside the “Boulevard”, a scene that he trained on several times until he could perform it correctly during filming, benefiting from his previous experience in practicing several sports at different stages of his life, and his keenness to maintain his physical fitness, according to him.

With Ali Sobhi in a shot from behind the scenes of filming (his Facebook account)

Success and Future Plans

Although Qassem expected the film to be successful upon its release, he did not expect it to achieve such huge revenues that it would reach nearly 200 million pounds in Egypt in less than two weeks of showing, in addition to the large difference in revenues between it and the rest of the films shown during the Eid al-Adha season, with the film collecting around 80 percent of the ticket revenue, in a precedent that may not have happened before, according to him.

Qassim considered “the talk of the filmmakers about a fourth part of the film to be encouraging to him, given the audience’s connection to the heroes, but he prefers it to be after a period of time and not quickly, because they are still suffering from stress as a result of the filming and training they did, in addition to other projects the work team has,” stressing that “the long period of time allows for a degree of longing and anticipation among the audience.”

About Karim Kassem

I am careful when dealing with new directors and producers… and I calculate my artistic steps well.

The Egyptian artist confirms his keenness to present different roles that he feels will add to him and present him in a non-stereotypical way, explaining: “This is what makes the decision to participate in a work or not linked to the script, the role, the director and the producer, considering that the success of the work is the result of an integrated system.”

The artist points out that he “is careful when dealing with new directors and producers for the first time, which is something he learned from his previous experiences,” noting that “this does not mean not cooperating with new people, but there is scrutiny on his part in all the details before signing the work, and knowing their vision of his desire to calculate his artistic steps well.”

Qassim confirms that he is “not currently involved in any new projects,” but he is reading drama and cinematic works that he is considering participating in, but what is certain for him now is his participation as a guest of honor in a foreign film.

Conclusion

Karim Kassem’s journey with “Welad Rizk” has been a long and challenging one, but his dedication to his craft and his passion for storytelling have made it all worthwhile. With his latest film, he has proven himself to be a talented and versatile actor, capable of taking on a wide range of roles and bringing them to life in a believable and engaging way.

FAQs

Q: How did Karim Kassem get involved with “Welad Rizk”?
A: Karim Kassem was approached by the author Salah Al-Jahini to play the role of Ramadan in the film.

Q: What were some of the challenges he faced during filming?
A: Karim Kassem faced many difficulties during filming, including the action scenes and the need to travel between Cairo and Riyadh almost daily.

Q: How did he feel about the success of the film?
A: Karim Kassem was surprised and thrilled by the success of the film, which exceeded his expectations in terms of its box office performance and audience reception.