‘Justice’ holds court in UAE
The Emirati show, which is inspired by real-life court cases in Abu Dhabi, has been many years in the making
T he cast of the highly anticipated new drama series, Qalb Al Adala (Justice) — which premieres on OSN today — have spoken of their excitement about being on the show, which depicts real-life court cases from the Abu Dhabi judiciary.
Fatima Al Taei plays the ambitious lead character Farah, a lawyer who is trying to make it on her own without her well-known lawyer father’s name. Al Taei told tabloid! that she enjoyed the role, especially since she could relate to her.
“Farah is a very ambitious girl and she is looking forward to becoming a successful lawyer like her father. She has a lot of what I would call humil- ity, I personally learned a lot from her,” said Al Taei. “She never backs down, she is very determined and she knows what she wants. She has her own vision and is very clear on the path she will take when she needs to get something accomplished, and I really enjoyed those aspects of the character.
“Sometimes, as an actress you can relate with the characters you play, and with Farah the parallels were so clear and obvious to the point where I feel that there is still some of Farah left in me. She is a role model for me, and she fights for what she believes in,” she added.
Al Taei said she felt a huge responsibility to get the character right; to ensure that her on-screen performance reflected the characteristics of a real lawyer.
“[This role] is a big responsibility because this is based on true stories. We had the chance to shoot the series inside the court, which made it fascinating. We met with the lawyers and just being able to be there made it a whole different kind of experience,” she said.
“The series took longer to finish than what is usually produced here because we wanted to get things right,” she added.
Al Taei said she was confident that the show would be a success because it was bringing the audience something new and based on real life.
“[This role] is a big responsibility because this is based on true stories. We had the chance to shoot the series inside the court, which made it a fascinating. We met with the lawyers and just being able to be there made it a whole different kind of experience.” FATIMA AL TAEI | Actress
Veteran actor Mansour Al Feeli, who plays Farah’s father Hassan, said he was originally not slated to star in the show; he was a casting manager until circumstances changed all that.
“I was getting ready as a totally different character for another TV series in Kuwait. I was the casting manager for Justice, and what happened was that the main actor who was going to play the role suddenly had some problems so he left [the project]... and then I got the call at 2am [saying] the role was mine,” he said.
“I already knew the character because I had read the script so many times, so it wasn’t a problem for me to play him, and I also liked the character. I liked Hassan as a father and at times I could relate with him,” he said.
The most challenging aspect of the role was the long dialogues he had to memorise, he said, and the technical words employed by lawyers. “The words used by lawyers when they are in the court is not like the normal words that we often use, because they are talking in a way that is connected with the law and the language of the law is different,” Al Feeli said.
As a veteran on the Arabic film and TV scene, Al Feeli said he was very positive about the show offering something unique to the audience.
“This is very different from other TV series, this show is based on true stories from the Abu Dhabi courts. I think audiences in general are getting fed up [of] drama series; the crying, the divorces, or fighting for money. We are giving the audience real stories,” he said.
“We need more writers to find new subjects, new ways for drama series, and stories based on real life. Not everybody knows about the cases that are happening in court, and so we are showing the people what is going on,” he said.
Michael Garin, CEO of Image Nation Abu Dhabi, the company that backed the show, said that it was long overdue for having such a TV series in the region.
“This has been done already in every major country elsewhere, we are just late to the party,” Garin said.
“This is compelling drama... it is an opportunity to see a part of the world that many people around the world are interested in. The show follows a template that is popular all over the world... It’s what everybody loves. It’s got every element that the audience wants, whether they are here in the region, or sitting in the US,” he said.