Egyptian actress Menna Shalabi Cairo – Mostafa el-Queyas Egyptian actress Menna Shalabi has hit back at claims her appearance without make-up in the series Niran Sadiqa (Friendly Fire) negatively affected her image, saying it was necessary for the role. “Every character has its requirements, determining clothing, appearance and make-up,” Menna told Arab Today. “This was the point of view especially of the director Khaled Marei, who I greatly respect and trust.” The 31-year-old star also dismissed rumours that sparks flew on set during the filming of the series, saying: “All the series cast have good relations with each other. I was very happy to be with them, and I consider them friends.” It was the strong rapport between the actors made the Ramadan show a success, she added. The actress, who is daughter of the dancer Zizi Mustafa, shared her delight at the reception of Niran Sadiqa, saying the response from the public was positive, despite tough competition. “There was the intention to build suspense in the audience by the author Mohammed Amin Rady, who wrote the script perfectly, as well as the great experience of director Khaled Marei, who filled it with excitement and thrill,” she gushed. Menna denied the serial was too similar to her 2006 film Ouija, insisting that there is “a significant difference between the two works”. “The series is about a book of the characters’ life stories, and how they will face the book’s events,” she said. “As for the movie, it is about a game that leads the characters to kill.” “I always seek to produce different works, I don’t like to repeat myself,” she added. But taking on the role of Amira in Niran Sadiqa wasn’t always easy, the actress confided. “There were many challenges in playing the role of Amira, as it was very complicated and included many contradictory emotions and feelings, but the director Khaled Marei helped me to break through this stage.” Turning to her role in Daoud Abdel Sayed’s new flick Rasael al-Hob (Love Letters), Menna said she was thrilled to be working with Sayed, but revealed that filming has been postponed indefinitely due to the unrest in Egypt. “The movie marks the first project between me and the great director Daoud Abdel Sayed, and I’m very happy to be working with him,” she said.