Immortal and mortal art duos in our entertainment scenes

During his recent appearance in the television show “al-Shirian,” Kuwaiti actor Abdulhussain Abdulreda was as great as usual. He has a history in bringing delight to viewers as his success is a story of creativity.

When Abdulreda teamed up with Kuwaiti actor Saad al-Faraj, they formed an exceptional duo and starred in famous plays. However, the circumstances of Faraj's education in the US prevented them from working together and they put their cooperation on hold. They have now eventually teamed up after several years. The duo between Abdulreda and Faraj is unique in Gulf’s entertainment scene.

Duos are many such as those between Kuwaiti actresses Souad Abdullah and Hayat al-Fahad, Saudi actors Nasser al-Qasabi and Abdullah al-Sadhan and Fayez al-Malki and Hassan Asiri. There are duos that succeed but come to an end, sometimes following the tragic death of one of them. Perhaps this is due to stardom and their desire to share it, as well as a lack of understanding that art originally depends on individuality.

There have been successful duos in the Arab world between writers and actors such as that between Egyptian actor Adel Imam and writer Youssef Maati. There's currently Saudi actor Nasser al-Qasabi and writer Khalaf al-Harbi becoming known as duo. It's a sensational success and I think this duo brought out all of Qasabi's talents.

As for duos between musicians, we recall those between Yemeni singer Abu Bakr Salem and poet Hussein al-Mehdar, Saudi singer Abadi al-Johar and poet Saud Salem and Saudi singer Mohammad Abdu and composer Omar Kadras.

German Philosopher Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) said the origin of artistic work is individuality - meaning that art is an original expression of one's relation with existence. Double acts face constant challenge, especially when it comes to actors and actresses. Who doesn't remember the fights between them over whose name is written first in the title sequence?

There've been struggles and lawsuits, but then again, this is what lights up the fire of the arts.

This article was first published in Okaz on June 19, 2016.

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Turki Aldakhil is the General Manager of Al Arabiya News Channel. He began his career as a print journalist, covering politics and culture for the Saudi newspapers Okaz, Al-Riyadh and Al-Watan. He then moved to pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat and pan-Arab news magazine Al-Majalla. Turki later became a radio correspondent for the French-owned pan-Arab Radio Monte Carlo and MBC FM. He proceeded to Elaph, an online news magazine and Alarabiya.net, the news channel’s online platform. Over a ten-year period, Dakhil’s weekly Al Arabiya talk show “Edaat” (Spotlights) provided an opportunity for proponents of Arab and Islamic social reform to make their case to a mass audience. Turki also owns Al Mesbar Studies and Research Centre and Madarek Publishing House in Dubai. He has received several awards and honors, including the America Abroad Media annual award for his role in supporting civil society, human rights and advancing women’s roles in Gulf societies. He tweets @TurkiAldakhil.