Maliki, the Saudi actor who is the star of “Manahi” is already on the anvil. “I will start shooting soon for “Eyal Manfouha” (“Lads of Manfouha” – Manfouha is an old neighborhood in Riyadh). The movie will be shot in different Saudi cities. Maliki has signed a five-year contract with Rotana. “Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal is such a successful person and I'm proud to work with him in this endeavor,” he said. The actor has come under fire online for trying to establish unethical openness in a conservative society, with some critics wondering how this could ever come from a young man whose family is known for being religious. “We have mothers, daughters and sisters,” Maliki responded. “We have never looked at things that way. All our works have not been against our social values and traditions. I have never presented anyhing shameful. Art is a means for education. For example, one may benefit from a scene and quit narcotics.” He defended himself against allegations that he had used “impolite language” in some of his previous works. “That's not true; the language that I used is from our everyday life. We should not hide our heads in the sand like an ostrich. Art normally mirrors real life.” Mamdouh Salim, a movie director and member of the “Manahi” organizing committee, said that they are working in the open and have nothing to worry about. “We have obtained all the necessary papers that permit us to show the movie.” He said cinema “is most needed as a means of entertainment for Saudi youth, more than any other cultural event.” “This makes cinema theaters a necessity that can surely take our youth away from roadsides or places where they go to smoke,” Salim told Saudi Gazette.
