Khaberni - Director Rami Imam disclosed details of a sharp conflict that arose between him and his father, the great star Adel Imam, during the preparations for the play "Body Guard", which was presented in 1999, with Rami directing at the age of twenty-five.
Rami Imam explained, during a television interview, that the disagreement occurred in the backstage of the play during rehearsals, resulting from a natural clash between two roles that came together for the first time inside the same house, those being the role of the seasoned star father, and the role of the young son who was beginning his career as a director and carried full responsibility for the work.
He indicated that, given his young age and lack of experience at the time, he was trying to impose his directorial vision on the work, demanding from his father to carry out specific movements and performances he saw fit for the theater script, without then realizing the sensitivity of the situation or the significant artistic stature of his father, especially in front of the work team and theater crew members.
Rami added that he insisted on his stance during the discussion, which led to the escalation of the conflict unexpectedly, and the intensity of his anger escalated until it ended with him throwing the play's script on the ground, which exploded Adel Imam’s anger. He then halted the rehearsal and left the stage immediately amid a state of tension and astonishment among those present.
Rami Imam continued his talk by saying that the repercussions of the incident did not stop at the boundaries of the theater but moved to the home, where he faced a difficult situation upon his return, before entering a direct confrontation with his father, which began with intense emotion and angry shouting from his father.
However, according to Rami, the situation saw a notable shift after moments of anger, as Adel Imam suddenly calmed down, and began calmly explaining his perspective, detailing what could be implemented and what was difficult to apply on stage, then he studied the movement that his son proposed, analyzing its artistic dimensions, and explaining the reasons for his initial discomfort with it.
Rami Imam confirmed that his father, after some thought, acknowledged the correctness of the directorial vision, and recognized that it was a new and different idea, but he explained that his habituation to certain performance methods made him cautious initially, before he was convinced by it later.
Rami Imam concluded his talk by emphasizing that the incident was a harsh but extremely important lesson in his career, as he learned from it how to manage dialogue with major artists, especially when presenting new ideas, and respecting age and professional differences, noting that his impulsiveness at that time was derived from a lack of experience, and that what happened was a pivotal milestone in his artistic and personal maturity.
