Egyptian director Hisham Fathy said that the idea for the film 'Whose Son Is He?' began when producer Darine Al-Khatib presented him with the script, which she had been enthusiastic about for a while, written by Loay Al-Sayed, with whom he has been friends for years. He noted that when he read the script, he became excited and spent two weeks discussing the work and redeveloping its details with Loay, before holding work sessions with its stars Layla Elwi and Bayoumi Fouad to reach the final treatment before filming began.

Hisham added to Asharq Al-Awsat that the script development stage saw effective contributions from artist Layla Elwi, whom he described as having great experience in reading scripts and analyzing characters, noting that her observations were precise and helped improve a number of dramatic details.

The events of 'Whose Son Is He?' take place in a social comedy framework around 'Rushdi', a man accustomed to entering into marriages and casual relationships without taking responsibility, before his life is turned upside down when a lawyer tells him about a huge inheritance left by his aunt, which he will only receive if he can find his son from one of his previous marriages. During his search, he faces comedic and human situations that push him to reconsider his lifestyle and discover the meaning of responsibility and fatherhood, in a work that combines comedy with social messages.

Egyptian director Hisham Fathy (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The director explained that the preparation sessions were not just reading the script, but continuous discussions about the characters and the rhythm of events, to ensure the film comes out in the best possible form. He noted that 'the selection of actor Ahmed Essam El-Sayed to play the son (Karim) came after full conviction that he was the most suitable for the role, after I saw him in the series "Ayesha El-Dor" with Donia Samir Ghanem and noticed that he possesses the calmness and simplicity that the character needs, along with his ability to convincingly portray the son of Layla Elwi on screen,' as he put it.

He added: 'All nominations were based on the actor's suitability for the role, not just on the level of stardom, and this was preceded by intensive rehearsals before filming began.' He noted that his attention during preparation was not limited to the film's stars, but included all characters, regardless of their screen time, based on his belief that small roles often create the most lasting moments in the audience's memory.

Hisham Fathy explained that he entered the film knowing that previous works that brought together Layla Elwi and Bayoumi Fouad achieved great popular and commercial success, but he refused to let that restrict his directorial vision. He noted that he treated 'Whose Son Is He?' as an independent project, through which he seeks to present a different experience while maintaining the chemistry that brings the two leads together.

He praised the working method of author Loay Al-Sayed, describing him as 'one of the most flexible writers in dealing with the director, as he would accept rewriting or modifying scenes whenever the film's interest required it.' He affirmed that the state of understanding between them continued throughout the preparation stages, which gave the script the opportunity for continuous development even before filming began, and this was reflected in the dramatic and comedic structure of the work.

He pointed out that the biggest bet in the film was on 'situational comedy', considering it one of the most difficult forms of comedy because it relies on creating a whole situation that naturally generates laughter, not just on verbal jokes. He ensured this was also present in action and chase scenes, so that comedy remains present in all details of the film without being forced.

Fathy with Bayoumi Fouad during preparation for filming one of the scenes (Asharq Al-Awsat)

He added that 'directing comedy remains one of the most difficult tasks, because the director does not have a real way to measure the audience's response during filming, which makes him rely on the general feel of the scene and his experience in comedic timing.' He noted that he always prefers to discuss performance details with the actors, because achieving the best result comes through dialogue and exchanging ideas, not through executing the scene rigidly.

The Egyptian director affirmed that he does not believe that a single actor should carry the responsibility of laughter in the film, but rather ensures that comedy is distributed among all characters, so that the viewer feels that each character has their own moment. He considers that the selection of actors is an essential element in the success of comedy, so he was keen to choose actors each of whom could add a different touch to the events, even in cameo roles.

He revealed that 'all cameo actors agreed to participate as soon as the idea was presented to them, and there were no alternative names proposed, because each character was linked from the start to a specific actor,' affirming that some artists suggested ideas to develop their roles.

Regarding Entesar performing a song and dance in the film, Hisham Fathy confirmed that she became enthusiastic as soon as they spoke with her about playing the role and that she would sing and present a dance performance. He noted that he does not like to insert singers into cinematic works without a dramatic need for it.

Layla Elwi between Bayoumi Fouad and Ahmed Essam El-Sayed (Production Company)

Regarding his upcoming artistic projects, the Egyptian director confirmed that he is preparing a new work with author Loay Al-Sayed, in addition to a Saudi film titled 'Naif and Naoumi' with artist Fahad Al-Mutairi, a work that is still under preparation and selection of the rest of the crew.

He added that the film will be the second collaboration with Al-Mutairi after their experience together in 'Fakhr Al-Suwaidi', noting that he likes to present comedic cinematic experiences in Saudi Arabia for several reasons, foremost being the actors' keenness to give their best.

It is noteworthy that the film 'Whose Son Is He?' stars Layla Elwi and Bayoumi Fouad, along with Ahmed Essam El-Sayed, and features a large number of cameo appearances, including Entesar, Rania Youssef, Shaimaa Seif, Wezzo, Zeina Mansour, Hala Fakher, in addition to a special appearance. It is produced by Fox Studios and Dubai Studios.