Bashtery Ragel

{{short description|2017 Egyptian romantic comedy film}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Bashtery Ragel

| starring = Nelly Karim

| released = {{Film date|2017}}

| country = Egypt

| language = Arabic

}}

Bashtery Ragel ({{langx|ar|بشتري راجل}}; "Buying a Man") is a 2017 Egyptian romantic comedy film, starring Nelly Karim.

Karim's character tries to conceive of a child through asking a man to do so via Facebook. Inas Lofty was the screenwriter.{{cite web|url=https://www.france24.com:443/en/20170319-sperm-donation-rom-com-hit-egypt|title=Sperm donation rom-com is a success in Egypt|publisher=France 24|date=2017-03-19|access-date=2022-01-29}}

Plot

The main character, Shams, runs a business. She decides to ask a man to give her a sperm donation, and to make it halal she proposes a marriage, though it is only done for the purpose of the sperm donation. Her mother is concerned about the marriage's motive being only for a business reason, but Shams becomes genuinely attracted to him, and he does with his wife. Ultimately they instead have a traditionally conceived child. France 24 stated that this is "perhaps the only ending that could make the film a success with Egyptian audiences".

Cast

  • Nelly Karim: Shams Noureddine (شمس نور الدين)
  • {{ill|Muhammad Mamdouh|ar|محمد ممدوح|arz|محمد ممدوح}} - Baghat Abu Al-Saad (بهجت أبو السعد)
  • {{ill|Laila Ezz Al Arab|ar|ليلى عز العرب|arz|ليلى عز العرب}}: Nagwa Youssef (نجوى يوسف)

Development

According to the screenwriter, the film was modeled after a friend who wanted to be a single mother as she wanted companionship but was uninterested in being married to a man, as she had not found good romantic relationships.

The film development team used a Facebook page purportedly of a woman asking for a sperm donation as a marketing ploy.{{cite web|url=https://egyptindependent.com/woman-seeking-sperm-donor-fb-revealed-be-fake-film-advert/|title=Woman seeking sperm donor on FB revealed to be fake for film advert|agency=Al-Masry Al-Youm|newspaper=Egypt Independent|date=2017-01-25|access-date=2022-01-29}} - This is a translation of an article in Arabic published in Al-Masry Al-Youm, with some editing done to it.

Lofty decided to use the romantic comedy genre to make the Egyptian public more amenable to the film's subject matter.

See also

{{Portalbar|Egypt|Film|Comedy}}

References

{{reflist}}