Biography
With a career spanning over 30 years, Egyptian writer, scriptwriter, and poet Dr. Medhat El Adl etched his name into the history of the TV, theater, and film industries with over 30 landmarks that struck a chord with audiences in Egypt and the Arab world.
Throughout his illustrious career, he forged partnerships with esteemed directors, producing groundbreaking works that set the stage for a new wave of talent and marked significant moments in Egypt's entertainment landscape with productions that fearlessly addressed pressing societal, national, and humanitarian issues.
Dr. Medhat’s first foray into the business began with a notable collaboration with preeminent director Khairy Beshara, who was one of the founders of the new wave of cinema that started in the 1980s. As part of this collaboration, he worked on the dialogue and songwriting of ICE CREAM IN GLEAM, which went on to achieve phenomenal success thanks to its unforgettable songs performed by Egyptian top singer Amr Diab. The film also marked a strong comeback for Egyptian musical films, with its songs published on a separate album.
Following the widespread success of ICE CREAM IN GLEAM, Dr. Medhat collaborated with Beshara again on the scriptwriting and songwriting for four of his most notable films — AMERICA SHIKA BIKA (1993), starring the sensational singer Mohamed Fouad; STRAWBERRY WAR (1994), starring iconic stars Yousra, Mahmoud Hemida, and Sami El Adl; NUTSHELL (1995), starring veterans actors Mahmoud Yassin and Hussein Fahmy; and TRAFFIC LIGHT (1996), which marked his second collaboration with Fouad and features renowned actress Laila Eloui.
Dr. Medhat’s next big break came in the 1998 film UPPER EGYPTIAN IN THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY, which achieved historical success and has been immortalized as a comedy classic. The film, which was directed by Saeed Hamed, brought together some of Egypt's A-listers at the start of their careers, including Mohamed Henedy, Mona Zaki, Ghada Adel, Hany Ramzy, and Tarek Lotfy.
Moreover, it played in theaters for 36 weeks in a row and became the highest-grossing film in the history of Egyptian cinema after factoring in inflation. Additionally, Dr. Medhat’s exceptional lyrics for the film’s songs have continued to resonate with audiences generation after generation since then.
In recognition of the overwhelming success that these films achieved and how they went on to become staples of Egyptian culture, ICE CREAM IN GLEAM, AMERICA SHIKA BIKA, NUTSHELL, and UPPER EGYPTIAN IN THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY were named four of the 100 Most Important Musicals in Egyptian History during the 2023 edition of the Alexandria Mediterranean Film Festival.
Dr. Medhat also collaborated with director Magdy Ahmed Aly on the boxing film EL BATAL, which bridged the gap between two generations by bringing together legendary actor Ahmed Zaki alongside rising stars at the time, Mohamed Henedy and singer Moustafa Amar.
Since then, he’s worked on several other instant classics, including HAMMAM FI AMSTERDAM (1999), SHORT W FANELAH W CAP (2000), ASHAB WALA BUSINESS (2001), and MAFIA (2002).
In addition to his remarkable achievements in cinema, Dr. Medhat has also left his mark on the television industry, working on several highly successful and iconic dramas, including the Ramadan 2004 TV series MAHMOUD ELMASRI, which marked the highly anticipated return of esteemed actor Mahmoud Abdel-Aziz, who had been absent from the small screen for 12 years following his iconic role in the spy drama RAAFAT AL HAGGAN.
Capitalizing on that success, the accomplished writer went on to pen several other Ramadan dramas, including the biographical series AL-ANDALEEB HIKAYT SHAAB, the historical drama BACK STREETS, THE PREACHER, and JEWS’ ALLEY.
He also collaborated with iconic star Yousra on one of her most successful dramas in recent years — FOQ MOSTAWA EL SHOBOHAT (2016). Following that, he partnered with superstar Nelly Karim on LE A'LA SE'R (2017) and OMLA NADRA (2023).
In general, Dr. Medhat’s TV series were among the most popular Ramadan series ever, with their songs going viral and garnering high critical acclaim.
After an impressive three-decade artistic career, Dr. Medhat continues to make a significant impact in reviving the glory of musical works, with one of his most recent projects being the musical play CHARLIE, which delves into the extraordinary life of the phenomenal Charlie Chaplin.
The play — which featured a star-studded cast that included Mohamed Fahim and Noor Kadry — was a huge success in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, selling out every theater it visited.
As an added treat, the play was selected to open the 30th edition of the Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theater, becoming the first play produced by the private sector to open the prestigious festival since 1988.
Before that, Dr. Medhat made his theatrical debut in Shahid’s musical play Coco Chanel, which marked the strong comeback of Egyptian heartthrob Sherihan after a long hiatus.
Finally, but certainly not least, Dr. Medhat has demonstrated outstanding potential as a poet throughout the years, writing over 100 songs for several artists, including Diab, whom he collaborated with on 27 songs to date, such as WI EIH YA’NY! from the iconic album SHAWAKNA; Mohamed Fouad, whom he worked with on TEARAFNY from the album MESHEINA; Medhat Saleh; Mohamed Mounir; Hisham Abbas; Amer Mounib; Samira Said; Angham; Carole Samaha; Hanan Mady; and singers from the older generation like Mohamed El-Helw and Mayada El-Hennawy.
He also wrote one of the renowned operettas that brought together some of the best musicians in the Arab world, such as JERUSALEM WILL RETURN TO US, along with a few others, in commemoration of the Sixth of October War, including WE NEED ANOTHER VICTORY (2003) and WEAPONS FOR PEACE (2009).
In addition to that, he wrote the operettas WE ALL LOVE LIFE, an homage to director Mostafa El Akkad, who was killed in a terrorist bombing, and YOU ARE STRONGER, which was released during the COVID-19 outbreak and featured an array of Arab singers, athletes, and actors.
