The team has created two versions of the script for distribution on linear and OTT platforms.
Dubai-based production house Art Format Lab has begun filming the Arabic adaptation of the well-known Indian series Hum Paanch, a sitcom, in Egypt.
A co-production with ATL, the adaption, titled Tranquila, is a comedy-drama that varies slightly from the original to cater to an Arab audience. The plot, however, remains the same and revolves around a family, where the father has two wives with five daughters and one son. The comedy arises when the father brings together his entire family to manage the resort, with each of his children allocated a job based on their respective personalities.
Speaking about the comedy-drama, Khulud Abu Homos, partner and co-founder of Arab Format Lab, said: “We are really excited to be shooting this comedy-drama. We have a number of A-lister cast on this series, including Bayoumi Fouad and Hala Fakher, who are both established comedians. We have also roped in some of the most popular Saturday Night Lives (SNL) cast like Shady Alfons, Khaled Mansour and Nour Qadri.
“This is a comedy/drama series that revolves around a family’s first-time experience in managing a resort, with the father attempting to force his family to come together after the Covid-19 economic crisis to run the resort. As a family, they use their clashing personalities and talents to their advantage to successfully manage the resort and create a brand identity for the resort based on accepting personal and cultural differences in all aspects of life.”
Abu Homos commented that the team has created two variants of the comedy series to distribute on different platforms. Two seasons of 30 episodes each are being planned for linear broadcast while four seasons of 16 episodes are being created for streaming services.
“We started shooting yesterday,” Abu Homos confirmed. “It will take us six months to complete this project. We have 130 crew members working on this project but have divided our crew to ensure social distancing. Those on the set are minimal. Team members have all been tested before shooting and are all situated in one place now for the shooting.”
