Syrian artist Jamal Suleiman expressed his admiration for the “Smile General” series, emphasizing that the piece succeeded in opening a great discussion by crossing all the “traditional and known” lines in the drama industry.
The pro-regime Syrian actor Bassem Yakhour, on the other hand, attacked by emphasizing that “Smile General” is outside the artistic logic, outside of “what art should be”, and that he did not watch the work.
While attending a program on “SBC”, Yakhour added: “Art should not have direct targets for personal discussion. It is not an element of art.”
Yakhour noted that he likes artist Maxim Khalil “on a very personal level”, but disagrees “totally and in detail” with him, even in his latest series.
“I don’t see that any political position of an artist should rise to a state of directness and personalization,” he added.
As to whether he would agree to join “Smile General” if he was offered the role of Halil, Yakhour confirmed that he did not accept it for many reasons, preferring to “work on the consensus”. The work with the split will lead to the loss of a large part of the audience.” He pointed out that “everyone lost as a result of the partition”, including artists such as Cemal Süleyman in Syria.
Yakhour felt that some artists “deny their country” even though they “become beneficiaries of the highest levels of power and have no predecessors in principle or belief in the cause.”
The series “Smile, General”, starring Maxim Khalil, Abdel Hakim Qetaifan, Mazen Al-Natour, Izzat Al-Bahra, Sawsan Arshaid and Ghatfan Ghanoum, and produced by the “Metafora” company, draws attention.
Syrian screenwriter Samer Radwan wrote the screenplay for the series, which covers the events in Syria, the method of the two brothers’ struggle for power, and the planning of killing and torture.
