Ahmed Dash had a busy year shooting Meen Qal and making an appearance in Marvel’s Moon Knight. Here’s what he had to say about his character Sherif in Meen Qal and whether he related to it.
Could you elaborate more on the character of Sherif?
Sherif is an 18-year-old who is graduating from school and heading to university. He wants to be a successful businessman since he’s passionate about business and enjoys selling anything.
He is very ambitious, all over the place and very dynamic. He has a tendency to get terribly nervous and he is addicted to his work. He keeps working relentlessly until he reaches his goals and if he fails to do so, he gets depressed.
Are there similarities between the character of Sherif and Ahmed Dash?
Absolutely, there are lots of similarities. Sherif’s character is similar to mine in that he is perseverant and dedicated to his work. When I have something to work on, I follow through with it 100% and continue working until the job is done.
We are also similar in how nervous we both can get. Sherif’s anxiety shows outside himself whereas I tend to keep the anxiety inside and it’s not as apparent. Sherif would probably make the whole room around him nervous whereas I hold in my nerves and usually nobody can tell that I’m going through a patch of anxiety.
Why did the series create a buzz on social media in the way that it did? Could it be due to the similar things that teenagers and young adults go through nowadays?
I think it touched people since the show portrayed a real story and there are definitely similarities between what Sherif and his friends go through and what people go through nowadays. The show was addressing teenagers and young adults in a way that was basically from their perspective, not from the perspective of the scriptwriter, nor the perspective of the older generation.
Actually, what motivated me personally for this type of role was how Sherif spoke from the perspective of the younger people. Thankfully, the show was successful because Sherif was able to communicate with people within his age group in a way that related to them personally and this is also why this show touched people and why it was a success.
Did you face any similar problems when you were graduating from school or was it a different story?
No, I don’t think so. I didn’t have that big of a conflict with my family thankfully. I’ve been working ever since the age of 9 so, as I was graduating, I already had a line of work that was able to provide me with money.
My university experience was not that problematic, my family did want me to pursue a different career but I wanted to study directing. To this day, I am still studying how to direct films as well as marketing and media. But I personally did not really have Sherif’s conflict at all, I was just in a different situation.
What would you say to those who are going through a similar conflict and want to be studying something else?
I would say that it isn’t the end of the world although sometimes you might think “I won’t be able to achieve my dreams” but it’s not true.
I would also say to communicate with each other as this was an important point that was stressed in the show which resonated with people. Communication with friends and family is vital and it is all about sharing our problems and feelings with one another and sharing our passions. Ahmed Dash
People tend to hide things and keep them inside because they feel the situation is too great to grasp and that the situation should not be addressed with others. No, the trick is to talk and share more. At the end of the day, we are all human beings and we are all the same. So, sharing these problems with each other is something positive and will help us progress forward.
People who have someone who always tries to control them and their decisions. Communication with parents and families in general is very important. You have to explain your perspective. Communication nowadays seems lost and we need to revive that because that is the most important thing. 
What would you say are the three most important lessons that you can derive from the show?
I would say that we should communicate more and learn to understand each other and see from the perspective of the other person. The goal is to understand the person in front of you with their mind, not yours. Ahmed Dash
Understand and respect how other people think and advise them based on your past experiences. Don’t just focus on being right and proving yourself, try to really listen to what the other person is saying.
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