Mohamed Ramadan credits his single-mindedness for his transformation from child in the poor suburbs of Cairo to one of the most famous actors and singers in Egypt, the hub of the Arab film and music industry.
His first potential shot at fame and fortune came at the age of 12, when his working-class father, Ramadan Hegazi, took him for a trial at one of Egypt’s top football clubs.
Although he was accepted, he could not let go of his dream of becoming an actor – inspired at the age of 6 by the late Egyptian actors Ahmed Zaki and Mahmoud Abdel Aziz – and he left the club after a year.
In an exclusive interview with The National, Ramadan, 33, describes how he chased the dream – always waiting for a shot, any small role to prove his mettle – until he was finally able to make a claim to the No 1 spot in his chosen field, based on conventional box office smashes as well as the online metrics of success in the era of YouTube.
“From the very start, I had a goal and remained focused on achieving it. It’s like when you drive a car, you read a sign on the road saying ‘don’t get distracted while driving’,” he says.
“I never lose sight of my dream, goal and my career.”
Ramadan says he was lucky to attend a school that paid attention to extracurricular activities such as drama. It was at Al Sadia Secondary School in Cairo that he discovered he was a good actor, winning the most-talented student award for three consecutive years.
His first lead role was in his high school’s production of The Emperor Jones by American playwright Eugene O'Neill, about a resourceful, self-assured black American railway porter who escapes to an island in the West Indies after killing a man. In two years, Jones makes himself “emperor” of the place.
Paradoxically, Ramadan considers being rejected by the Higher Institute of Dramatic Art, Egypt’s foremost acting school, in 2004, as a milestone in his career.
“I didn’t give up, he says. "I remember this great saying that a stupid person is the one who tries to open a door many times with the same wrong key or tries to break in by any means. I found another key, or another way to recognise my talent, through great Egyptian actors and directors who believed in my untapped potential."
I didn’t give up. I remember this great saying that a stupid person is the one who tries to open a door many times with the same wrong key or trying to break in by any means. I found another key or another way to recognise my talent
Mohamed Ramadan
His professional acting career began the following year with an uncredited role in a play starring the late comedian Saeed Saleh.
In 2006, he made his television debut in the series Cinderella, the life story of Soad Hosny, one of the Arab world’s most popular actresses, who died five years earlier. Not only did he play the role of his childhood hero Ahmed Zaki, a close friend of Hosny, but the series also featured the superstar Mona Zaki.
Ramadan vividly remembers the day he got his first taste of affluence, in 2005, when he got paid the princely sum of 25 Egyptian pounds ($4 at the time) for a role in a play called Aeeden Leih.
“I can’t forget the happiness I felt when I got paid for a whole week that time,” he says. “I bought fruit for my mother – the first thing I bought with my own money.”
His most recent payday, for the TV series Moussa, which premiered in May, was reportedly in the region of $3 million. He refuses to confirm the figure or to reveal his net worth.
Not my real life
In film, Ramadan has been pulling fans of the action and thriller genres into cinemas for the past nine years, with movies such as Abdu Mouta (2012) and Akher Deek Fe Masr (2017).
The late Egyptian actor and Golden Globe winner Omar Sharif, best known for Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, described Ramadan in a TV interview in 2007 as a gifted actor whose talent “surpasses myself” and predicted he would be a top star in the years to come.
Whether training like a boxer, adopting the accent of the Saidi dialect from upper Egypt, or delving into the history of the 19th-century Ottoman Empire to play one of the gendarmerie, he says he always aims for authenticity in his roles, but never loses himself in his characters.
There is no point in suffering mentally for the sake of a role, says Ramadan, who is a father of three.
“I’m totally against assimilating into the character. Once the director says ‘stop’ I forget all about this or that character and become myself again. Just normal with my wife, my children and my friends. I don’t like this kind of assimilation when the character haunts you inside and outside the [shooting] location.”
Many of his portrayals are of young men who have been wronged and are seeking revenge. Asked where he picked up his acrobatic knife-fighting style, he flashes his dimples and says: “I never beat anyone in my life. This is not my real life.”
Ramadan is also known for his love of the underground techno-influenced dance music known as mahraganat, which is Arabic for “festivals”, and has proved to be hugely popular in Egypt over the past decade.
He has performed songs in this genre for some of his films and shrugs off criticism that the lyrics are shallow and provocative as they feature explicit flirting and sometimes mention drugs.
I don’t provoke my fans and I’m positive that my fans like what I do and get the message. It might provoke others who are not big fans of me, but I don’t care
“Mahragnat made me as a singer. I don’t provoke my fans and I’m positive that my fans like what I do and get the message. It might provoke others who are not big fans of me, but I don’t care. I only care about those who support and admire me,” he says.
Ramadan entered the music scene in 2018 with smash hits and videos.
His YouTube subscriber base has grown from two million to 13 million, with more than four billion total views, making it the most-followed artist’s channel in the Mena region, with some songs getting more views than hits by Justin Bieber and Drake.
Ya Habibi, performed with French rapper Maitre Gims, has been viewed more than 104 million times since its release 10 months ago, and Ramadan has two new songs on the way.
“I have just finished filming my latest videos in Dubai with [Moroccan stars] RedOne and Nouamane Belaiachi. They will be big.
“When your audience loves and believes you, there’s no limit to how far the fame can go,” he says, with a grin.
Simply himself
A high-rolling, Lamborghini-obsessed celebrity, Ramadan is a regular visitor to Dubai, especially after being granted a 10-year golden visa last year.
He makes no pretence of being a simple man and says he has no time for theatrics: he is simply himself.
“I am not a miser. I am not that kind of person who hates spending. I like to do what I want, to buy things I like. This is a personality trait in me and I don’t like to deceive my audience like some actors do, giving a false impression that I’m a simple man. I am frank with them that I love these things and tell them about the rough days and heydays in my life. I’m transparent,” Ramadan says.
He is candid about his fascination with big cats, posting videos of himself spending time with tigers and lions on Instagram.
“I have an obsession with everything signifying or symbolising power. Lions, tigers, crocodiles. I love and respect anything that’s powerful and dignified. I love strong characters,” he says.
“I love how a lion, for example, instils confidence in me. I love its character. You know, animals have characters like us. I love its prestige, power and energy.”
But some of his actions have drawn controversy and sometimes lawsuits, and have left a considerable number of his countrymen scratching their heads.
In one of his Instagram videos he appeared to be throwing thousands of dollars into a swimming pool, an act he dismissed later as part of an advertisement and insisted that the money was not real.
Ramadan admits that some of his actions and words have been counterproductive.
“Any human being would love to go back in time and act or behave differently to avoid mistakes,” he says. “We make mistakes as we age and learn from them. For example, sometimes I remember myself doing silly stuff a few years ago – in 2014 and 2015 – and ask myself: did I really do that?
“So, through the years we become more self-aware of our points of strength and weakness. We change to become a better version of ourselves. That’s life.”
“Any human being would love to go back in time and act or behave differently to avoid mistakes. We make mistakes as we age and learn from them.
But some of the lawsuits, he argues, are just silly.
“Someone sued me for the traffic jams I cause when I walk on the street and said I should notify the appropriate authorities before leaving my house,” he says, laughing loudly.
Living up to his reputation for unbounded ambition, Ramadan says his next career goal is winning an Oscar.
“I want to see an Arab, African, Egyptian actor as number one in the world, and I want to be this man.”
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
6.30pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes Group Three US$200,000 (Turf) 2,000m; Winner: Ghaiyyath, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Cliffs Of Capri, Tadhg O’Shea, Jamie Osborne.
7.40pm: UAE Oaks Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: Zabeel Mile Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Zakouski, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
8.50pm: Meydan Sprint Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: Waady, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
THE%20HOLDOVERS
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FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Bombshell
Director: Jay Roach
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie
Four out of five stars
The%20specs
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Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Ferrari
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Michael%20Mann%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Adam%20Driver%2C%20Penelope%20Cruz%2C%20Shailene%20Woodley%2C%20Patrick%20Dempsey%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Changing visa rules
For decades the UAE has granted two and three year visas to foreign workers, tied to their current employer. Now that's changing.
Last year, the UAE cabinet also approved providing 10-year visas to foreigners with investments in the UAE of at least Dh10 million, if non-real estate assets account for at least 60 per cent of the total. Investors can bring their spouses and children into the country.
It also approved five-year residency to owners of UAE real estate worth at least 5 million dirhams.
The government also said that leading academics, medical doctors, scientists, engineers and star students would be eligible for similar long-term visas, without the need for financial investments in the country.
The first batch - 20 finalists for the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Distinction.- were awarded in January and more are expected to follow.
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
MATCH INFO
England 2
Cahill (3'), Kane (39')
Nigeria 1
Iwobi (47')
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
RESULTS
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,200
Winner: Miqyaas, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Rashed Bouresly (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Untold Secret, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Shanty Star, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
8.15pm: Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Alkaamel, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
8.50pm: Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Speedy Move, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm: Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Quartier Francois, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
