People on social media often rush to judge something; a celebrity, a public figure, or even a movie trailer based on a rumor or clip that’s barely two minutes long, before we give it the chance to be seen.
When the trailer for El Set was released, most of the online reaction centered on a single moment. Timelines filled with screenshots of Mona Zaki in Umm Kulthum’s iconic look, and many people debated whether the resemblance was close enough. The conversation quickly became about one image, as if an entire biographical film could be summed up by a still frame.
But El Set seems to be much more ambitious than what a few seconds of a trailer can show. It appears to be a thoughtful attempt to revisit a legend, not just an effort to mimic a face. The intention goes beyond likeness, reaching toward a new way of telling a story we all know by heart.
And if we look back, every actress who portrayed Umm Kulthum looked different from her in some way. What resonated with audiences was never the physical similarity, it was how each performance captured a feeling, a moment, or a part of her journey. Each retelling added something new, revealing just how vast her story truly is.
Maybe this version gives us another chance to explore a side of Umm Kulthum we haven’t seen before; her private battles, her strength, her inner world away from the spotlight. A fresh angle on a life with so many layers.
So perhaps the fairest approach is simply to wait. To let the film speak for itself rather than judge it through a single image. El Set might surprise us, move us, or reveal something we never expected. And it might also fall short of expectations, and that’s completely fine. The makeup or prosthetics may not be everyone’s favorite, and the story or performance might not appeal to every viewer, but none of that can be truly judged before the film finally sees the light. What do you think?
