In polkadot dresses and signature headbands, the doey-eyed, strikingly beautiful Soaad Hosny adorned the screens. An artist who held Egyptians spellbound – she was Egypt’s ‘Cinderella.’ Soad Hosny was born in January 1942 to Syrian parents, the 10th sister in a family of 17 siblings. She was born a star, from the young age of three years old, she started her career singing for children’s radio programmes. Her rise to stardom started when she made her film debut in Hassan wa Naimah in 1959, a tale following the familiar trajectory of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Her on-screen charisma and charm led her to star in a number of movies in different genres. In the glittering world of the film industry, Hosny donned the hats of an actress, a singer, and a dancer, and she excelled in all. She starred in a number of romantic films, some of her most famous ones being Sagheera ‘Al Hob (Too Young for Love) in 1966 and Esha’et Hob (Rumor of Love) in 1961. Although her striking beauty and gentleness could have forced her into a box labeling her as stereotypically simple-minded, Hosny’s films addressed…
