A streaming exclusive, this drama narrates the story of Rashash. Weekly episodes will drop on Shahid VIP from Thursday 21 January 2021.
MBC Group is bringing an adaptation of the true story of a notorious criminal in 1980s in Saudi Arabia – a first for GCC media production — to its streaming platform Shahid. Launching Thursday 21 January 2021, Rashash is a brand-new Shahid Original drama series exclusively available on Shahid VIP, Shahid’s subscription-based premium service.
The biggest Saudi drama produced by MBC Studios – and the biggest production by a streaming platform in the region so far –Rashash is based on a long-running criminal investigation from the late 1980s.
Based on real and astonishing events, this powerful drama narrates the story of Rashash and the Saudi police’s efforts to bring him to justice.
Created by British television screenwriter Tony Jordan (EastEnders, Hustle, Life on Mars, Holby Blue), and written with Sheikha Suha Al Khalifa and Richard Bellamy, Rashash tells the story of the notorious murderer and drug trafficker, who was finally caught by the police in Saudi Arabia in the late 1980s. Having never been adapted into a production, the series follows the early beginnings of Rashash right through to his capture, with the core focus of the drama centred on a young police officer (Fahd) who makes it his mission to end Rashash’s reign of terror and destruction.
The eight-part series is in the Saudi dialect of Arabic accompanied by English subtitles. One 60-minute episode will be released every Thursday.
Directed by British filmmaker Collin Teague (The Last Drop, Holby City, Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Doctor Who, Being Human), Rashash in the GCC was initially forecast to be completed in less than 90 days; however, this was extended due to the global restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic.
With Director of Photography, Luke Bryant (I Hate Suzie, The Reckoning, Urban Myths, Sliced, Dead Pixels, Chewing Gum) also at the helm, shooting of the project included three full days of helicopter scenes. Production equipment utilised include the Russian Arm Dynamic, Phantom high-speed cameras, drones and Steadicams.
Additionally, Rashash features over 24 stunts, choreographed by stunt director, Kaloyan Vodenicharov (Their, World War Z, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation).
As part of Shahid and MBC GROUP’s mission to foster, mentor and promote upcoming talent from the Kingdom, Rashash also features an all-Saudi cast in lead roles.
While the lead cast took on some stunts themselves, each cast member also had their own stunt double. In the meantime, all cast underwent special weapons training prior to filming, trained by special armourers flown in from India, where they were made familiar with the weapon replicas, as well as how to use them properly.
During the filming of Rashash, MBC Studios received production support from twofour54 Abu Dhabi.
