Waleed Zuaiter plays the lead character in 'Baghdad Central'. Courtesy Sife ElAmine
Waleed Zuaiter plays the lead character in 'Baghdad Central'. Courtesy Sife ElAmine
Waleed Zuaiter plays the lead character in 'Baghdad Central'. Courtesy Sife ElAmine
Waleed Zuaiter plays the lead character in 'Baghdad Central'. Courtesy Sife ElAmine

'Baghdad Central': at last, a Western TV show that portrays the Arab world from a local point of view


  • English
  • Arabic

In 2014 a small, independent London publisher printed Baghdad Central, the debut crime novel by Elliott Colla, about an Iraqi police inspector in Baghdad following the US-led coalition's invasion of Iraq 17 years ago. Now, ­Baghdad Central is getting a second wind.

A fresh, compelling and intelligent six-part TV thriller of the same name, inspired by Colla's book and featuring an all-star cast, with a great musical score to boot, is currently being shown on Channel 4 in the UK and will be streamed in the Middle East and the US. Further details on which platform will be announced in the coming months.

Written by The Last Kingdom's Stephen Butchard, whose 2007 film House of Saddam won the 2009 ­Grierson Award for Best Drama Documentary, it may very well be one of the first western TV fiction series that shows the Arab world from the point of view of a local hero. This was one of the main reasons Colla, an American professor and translator of Arabic literature, wrote his noir novel to begin with.

"The spark for me was when I saw [2008 film] The Hurt Locker. It has all the faults of the most thoughtful Americans; it presents Iraq as an American tragedy. I was fed up that people could not imagine what the invasion was like for Iraqis. The next day I sat down and started writing," Colla says.  

His main character is Muhsin Khafaji, a brooding, poetry-­loving police inspector whose daughter, Mrouj, is gravely ill, and who has lost his wife to cancer "and sanctions", ­Khafaji says dryly in the series. Colla created the character of Khafaji based on an amalgamation of many people, including his father-in-law, late Iraqi scholar and intellectual, Muhsin Mahdi, who edited the oldest manuscript of The Arabian Nights. But Colla admits that actor Waleed Zuaiter's incarnation of Khafaji in the series is so "amazing, it will be hard to imagine the character now as anyone other than him".

The new show is based on the debut crime novel by Elliott Colla about an Iraqi police inspector in Baghdad following the US-led coalition’s invasion of Iraq. Courtesy Sife ElAmine
The new show is based on the debut crime novel by Elliott Colla about an Iraqi police inspector in Baghdad following the US-led coalition’s invasion of Iraq. Courtesy Sife ElAmine

Even if the series is a very loose adaptation of Colla's novel, the team went to great lengths to respect its perspective. Executive producer Kate Harwood, of Euston Films, who bought the rights to ­Baghdad Central, said simply, "The point of view is Khafaji's, it's the Americans and the Brits who are 'the other'."

Harwood immediately thought of Butchard to write the series. "I knew it was an area he was interested in; he had worked on the events leading up to the 2003 invasion. He had come in on the [House of Saddam] project after lots of research. It was getting very bogged down in factual details and he got it to breathe. Coming at Iraq at a different angle was very appealing to him. He's good at writing about family and taking complex worlds and making them accessible."

Much like the extremely successful French political thriller series Le bureau des legendes (The Bureau) which revolves around complicated political issues in the greater Middle East, but is ultimately a love story, Baghdad Central is about a father's love for his daughters. In the series, Khafaji's daughter, Mrouj, needs dialysis, and his eldest daughter, Sawsan, a student who was secretly working for the Americans as a translator, has gone missing (in Colla's book Mrouj is his only daughter and Sawsan is his niece). Harwood describes Khafaji as an imperfect hero, and Colla agrees, saying, "He is deeply flawed."

Baghdad Central
Baghdad Central

In mapping out his novel, Colla says: "The noir genre seemed so perfect for morally ambiguous situations where the authorities are corrupt and the criminals and authorities are one and the same. I thought about what it meant to be a cop in a police state where there are war crimes, and then with the American sanctions and invasion." 

Amid a charged political situation, in the end, ­Khafaji is an anxious father who makes choices to save his daughters. The character Mrouj, who is bedridden, is "part of the reason Khafaji is likeable", says Colla. "He's kind and thoughtful with her."

British actress July Namir, who plays Mrouj, has said of her character in an interview on the Channel 4 website: “She’s suffering because of the sanctions. But, funnily enough, if anything, she’s more a parent to him than he is to her. She’s wise beyond her years, selfless, very independent, at no point does her illness characterise her – she’s too strong-willed to show it.”

Harwood says the female characters in the series were brought slightly more central than in the book, and indeed, a number of them are beautifully strong roles, such as the character of professor Zubeida Rashid, who Colla says was "based on women I know, strong Arab women that we don't get to see very often in western fiction. I wanted a strong, educated and unapologetic feminist, like Naziha Al Dulaimi [an early pioneer of the Iraqi feminist movement, a doctor, and member of the Iraqi Communist Party]."

It also gives a talented group of actors such as Namir, Clara Khoury, Leem Lubany and Maisa Abd Elhadi, a chance to shine. Many are Palestinians, and even the lead actor, Zuaiter, as well as Tawfeek Barhom, are of Palestinian origin, while Namir's parents are Egyptian. Harwood brought in ­Iraqi-born producer and filmmaker Arij Al Soltan to work on Baghdad Central, and because she had experienced the US invasion and occupation, she provided invaluable insight, as did Iraqi speech coach Abbas Abdulghani. In the series the cast speak Arabic and English and the decision to have Khafaji speak English with his family works, giving viewers a sense of intimacy, while interactions in the city are in Arabic. Baghdad Central was filmed in Morocco, where it was a matter of "putting the river in and taking the mountains out," says Harwood.

With anti-government protests continuing in Iraq, and the country still living through the devastating consequences of the US invasion, Baghdad Central is not only timely, but an excellent reminder that on the ground, ordinary people with families are struggling to lead their lives.

SPECS

Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Asia Cup 2018 Qualifier

Sunday's results:

  • UAE beat Malaysia by eight wickets
  • Nepal beat Singapore by four wickets
  • Oman v Hong Kong, no result

Tuesday fixtures:

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  • UAE v Oman
  • Nepal v Hong Kong
Sole survivors
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Fiction

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  •  ‘As Good As True’ by Cheryl Reid

The Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award

  • ‘Syrian and Lebanese Patricios in Sao Paulo’ by Oswaldo Truzzi;  translated by Ramon J Stern
  • ‘The Sound of Listening’ by Philip Metres

The George Ellenbogen Poetry Award

  • ‘Footnotes in the Order  of Disappearance’ by Fady Joudah

Children/Young Adult

  •  ‘I’ve Loved You Since Forever’ by Hoda Kotb 

Ammar 808:
Maghreb United

Sofyann Ben Youssef
Glitterbeat 

Leaderboard

63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)

64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)

66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)

67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)

68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)

69 - Justin Rose (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Danny Willett (ENG), Li Haotong (CHN), Matthias Schwab (AUT)

Other key dates
  • Finals draw: December 2
  • Finals (including semi-finals and third-placed game): June 5–9, 2019
  • Euro 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
  • Euro 2020 play-offs: March 26–31, 2020
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Light Flyweight (48kg): Alua Balkibekova (KAZ) beat Gulasal Sultonalieva (UZB) by points 4-1.

Flyweight (51kg): Nazym Kyzaibay (KAZ) beat Mary Kom (IND) 3-2.

Bantamweight (54kg): Dina Zholaman (KAZ) beat Sitora Shogdarova (UZB) 3-2.

Featherweight (57kg): Sitora Turdibekova (UZB) beat Vladislava Kukhta (KAZ) 5-0.

Lightweight (60kg): Rimma Volossenko (KAZ) beat Huswatun Hasanah (INA) KO round-1.

Light Welterweight (64kg): Milana Safronova (KAZ) beat Lalbuatsaihi (IND) 3-2.

Welterweight (69kg): Valentina Khalzova (KAZ) beat Navbakhor Khamidova (UZB) 5-0

Middleweight (75kg): Pooja Rani (IND) beat Mavluda Movlonova (UZB) 5-0.

Light Heavyweight (81kg): Farida Sholtay (KAZ) beat Ruzmetova Sokhiba (UZB) 5-0.

Heavyweight (81 kg): Lazzat Kungeibayeva (KAZ) beat Anupama (IND) 3-2.

Company Profile

Company name: Yeepeey

Started: Soft launch in November, 2020

Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani

Based: Dubai

Industry: E-grocery

Initial investment: $150,000

Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year

Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

Winners

Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)

Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski

Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)

Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea

Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona

Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)

Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)

Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)

Best National Team of the Year: Italy 

Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello

Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)

Player Career Award: Ronaldinho

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid

When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
GYAN’S ASIAN OUTPUT

2011-2015: Al Ain – 123 apps, 128 goals

2015-2017: Shanghai SIPG – 20 apps, 7 goals

2016-2017: Al Ahli (loan) – 25 apps, 11 goals

FINAL LEADERBOARD

1. Jordan Spieth (USA) 65 69 65 69 - 12-under-par
2. Matt Kuchar (USA) 65 71 66 69 - 9-under
3. Li Haotong (CHN) 69 73 69 63 - 6-under
T4. Rory McIlroy (NIR) 71 68 69 67 - 5-under
T4. Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP) 67 73 67 68 - 5-under
T6. Marc Leishman (AUS) 69 76 66 65 - 4-under
T6. Matthew Southgate (ENG) 72 72 67 65 - 4-under
T6. Brooks Koepka (USA) 65 72 68 71 - 4-under
T6. Branden Grace (RSA) 70 74 62 70 - 4-under
T6. Alexander Noren (SWE)  68 72 69 67 - 4-under