Meera’s romance with Indian cinema started quite early in life.

Raghib Hassan, Staff Reporter

It is practically unheard of that an Egyptian girl can speak impeccable, flawless Urdu and Hindi, have a good understanding of South Indian films, makes her debut in a Malayalam film and becomes extremely popular among fans of South Indian cinemas on Tiktok — and all this while living in the UAE since birth.  Perhaps this was possible, since cinema is a universal language that transcends borders! The adage has been proved right once more by Egyptian actress Meera Tarek Hamed, who has (un)surprisingly regaled audiences in the Malayalam-language film “Viral Sebi”, with an electrifying performance.  The film was first full screened at Dubai Expo at the Indian Pavilion in 2022.

Born and brought up in Ras Al Khaimah, Meera Tarek Hamed’s romance with Indian cinema started quite early in life.  Her command over the Urdu-Hindi language will make you think she was born and brought up in a North Indian State! But she is also familiar with South Indian languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. Those who want to see her talent can do so on Tiktok, where she is widely admired and followed, both for her language prowess and acting skills.  

Meera’s social media popularity initially grew with her videos of singing and lip-syncing to South Indian film songs and dialogues. Talking about her growing up days, she said: “I am born and brought up in the UAE and did all my studies here. I graduated in Business Administration Finance from the American University of Ras Al Khaimah.” About her cultural journey, she said that she “started off with acting and modelling and also got into a music album.”

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Sharing her experience of how she went into a Malayalam film, she said: “I did one interview with Media One, a leading Malayalam TV channel, and award-winning Malayali director Vidhu Vincent spotted me there. That’s how my film debut in a Malayalam movie happened.” She is the first Arab-Egyptian girl who ever did a Malayalam film.

“I feel everything was planned by the Almighty,” she said. When asked about her experience in the Malayalam film industry, she replied: “It was easy for me!  I always had a plan and was looking forward to work in Indian film industry. So it was an amazing experience though I grew up watching Bollywood films, and started South Indian films very late.”

It was her encounter with a Malayali friend hailing from Kerala State in India in 2015 that sparked her curiosity. Her friend introduced Meera to South Indian films. Meera said that “I got to know about Malayalam, Telugu and Kanada languages from then on. Earlier, I only knew about the Tamil language. In fact, my friend introduced me to Tamil films also.” Meera had been to Kerala for a month for her shoot — and fell in love with the place and its food. Her film was shot in Palakkad, Wayanad and the Kozhikode (Calicut) districts of Kerala.

Her love for Indian films has only increased since she began watching them. This is compounded by the fact that she loves Indian food and Indian culture also very much. “I feel I am more of an Indian than an Arab!” she said. When asked how long it took her to pick up the Urdu-Hindi language, she said that “since I grew up watching Bollywood movies and I am someone who catches things very fast, it didn’t take me long to learn it.” Her only regret was that she was watching South Indian films in the Urdu-Hindi language. “Had I watched them in their original languages, I would have been in a better situation,” she rues. About her forthcoming projects, she said: “I am looking forward to a Kannada horror movie. The shoot will start in October, and one Malaylam music video is in the pipeline also.” Though she intends to work in Bollywood, she said she was concentrating on South Indian films at the moment.

Her family has been very helpful from the beginning. “They all know that I am a filmi person,” she said about their reaction, “So they all have been very supportive.” Recently, she added one more feather to her cap by winning the title of “Miss Planet International Egypt 2024.” Talking about that moment, she said: “It was indeed a nice experience. That you are selected to represent your entire country, is a matter of great pride.”

A passionate fan of cinema, Meera, said that “I am interested in working in all kinds of cinema, whether it is Bollywood, Egyptian or South Indian, But it has to be cinema.”