It seems that almost every day a video of Mohanad depicting a typical, albeit hilarious, situation, pops up on our timeline. There has to be a reason why his videos spread like hay fire, and it’s obvious, because he is genuinely talented. Mohanad first gained Internet stardom when he started posting videos on Vine. The videos were short and to the point, depicting situations we all see or go through in an incredibly funny way. He has an array of characters that are all fun to watch, even if not all of them are loveable. We had a few words with him about the internet, art, and his many characters.
Who inspired all those characters?
Some characters just came to me out of the blue, but generally the Syrian character was inspired by family members, the Egyptian “bee2a” characters were definitely inspired by the amazing Egyptian actor Mohammad Hneidi when i saw his movie “Ga’ana el Bayan el Tali” and the khaleeji character was inspired by my best friend Khalifa.
If you would date one of your characters who would it be?
That’s a good question. I don’t think I would date any of my characters. All my characters would probably be considered obnoxious and completely annoying if they were real. Like “ka2eban” for example. Who would want to be in a relationship with such an over the top drama queen? She makes a funny character but definitely not a good girlfriend.
Many of your characters are female. Why is that?
To be honest when I started doing these videos I didn’t have even a single female character. Once I put out my first video as a female character called Rashrash, my channel blew up. Ever since I witnessed this reaction, my brain kept on producing more and more female characters. Also, as a person who loves acting, I thoroughly enjoy playing characters that are as far away and different from what I actually am in reality.
Do you think women are funny?
Absolutely. All my life I looked up to many female comedians, and I believe that it is a result of me idolizing my mother. Other than the fact that she is absolute perfection, she is one of the funniest human beings I have ever met. She is always the life of the party, making everyone laugh. So yes, I do think that women are very funny.
Best/worst things about the internet?
I am an internet dependent person. A huge chunk of my time is spent either YouTubing or posting my work on Instagram. I believe social media is the best part of the internet. I have always had a dream of sharing what I love to do with people, and using only my phone, I am able to send my little creations all around the world, which is a complete blessing.
Worst thing about the internet is that it taught people that they can say whatever they want without consequences. So many people out there are protected behind their phones and computers, allowing themselves to utter the most inappropriate comments. The “hate” comments don’t bother me anymore. It just makes me sad that there are so many people who continue to spread negativity.
The clingy girl, the spoiled princess, the nouveau riche TV host, and the old lady are stuck in an elevator. What do they do to get out?
The clingy girl cries her eye out and tries to call any of her ex boyfriends to come help. The spoiled girl has papi on speed dial so she called him to send the driver. The tv host prays that she was stuck in the elevator with Hanafi the cameraman who she has a crush on, and the old lady slaps her out of it. Meanwhile, no one responds to the clingy girl, but the driver managed to bring help and save them thank God.
If Sleeping Beauty was Egyptian, how would she react to being woken up by the Prince’s kiss?
I honestly never base any of my characters on an entire culture, race or country. So the sleeping beauty that I have in my head will probably say something like “merci ya amar, w 3ala fekra, shafayfak tshiganen #yaMsa7eeny”
If you could live in any movie/TV/comic world, what would it be?
I sing all the time, so I would definitely like to be living in the musical/movie Chicago.
What do you do other than your videos?
Fun, exercise, read, cinema, meeting new people and a lot of TV watching.
What do women want?
I am a person who generalizes nothing almost. So I can’t say what women want, simply because women, just like men, are all individuals who should have their own wants and goals. As cliché as it may sound I just wish that everybody’s goal would be to find and do whatever makes them happy as long as it doesn’t harm others around them.