"I lost a lifelong friend and a comrade in arms," said actor Adel Imam at the funeral of the late artist Saeed Saleh on August 5, 2014, after losing one of his closest people both artistically and socially. Adel Imam and his companion from their childhood days were not only friends on the cinema screens or on stage; they were also school friends in the Saidya school, known for their mischief and jokes. Saeed Saleh mentioned all of this and added in a TV interview: "They tolerated us because we were lighthearted."
The two friends moved from the Saidya school to university, where they worked together in the university theater before collaborating on "Madraset Al-Moshaghibin" (The School of Troublemakers). After that, numerous works followed, and they became one of the most famous duos, with films like "Al-Halafot," "Ana Li Qatal El-Hansh," "Salam Ya Sahbi," "Al-Mashbuh," and many others still etched in the minds of their fans across the Arab world.
**Saeed Saleh's Daughter Dislikes Adel Imam**
In her statements, "Hind," the daughter of artist Saeed Saleh, revealed that when she was younger, she told her late father that she hated artist Adel Imam because her father always died in the films they worked on together. She added: "I told him many times I don’t like Adel Imam, during the movies 'Mosegal Khatr' and 'Salam Ya Sahbi,' among others, where he died."
She continued: "He asked me why, as he's our friend and neighbor. I told him that he always dies, which is unfair in my opinion. I would wait for you to come back from filming just to check on you, and you'd say, ‘Here I am in front of you,’ and I would respond, ‘What if your clothes are torn from the gunfire?’"
**Saeed Saleh's Relationship with Adel Imam**
Hind continued her statements: "Their relationship was based on theater, cinema, television, and neighborly ties. The two buildings were opposite each other, and my kids were in school with Rami and Sara’s kids. They were always together even before acting, and when they got married, they decided to live opposite each other, which was no coincidence. They lived a complete life together."
**Superficial Disputes**
It’s worth noting that the two stars were cautious in dealing with the media, as when Saeed Saleh was asked, he would say: "Adel Imam is my beloved, and I'm not upset that he doesn't ask about me."
In 1990, Saeed Saleh made statements criticizing comedy stars who turned to action films, considering it a significant bankruptcy. Among what Saleh said in his interview: "What do you mean I do action, and there's a stunt double jumping instead of me and taking hits for me? A comedian has a great talent given by God to make people happy; why go in another direction?"
Saleh did not spare his friend Adel Imam from criticism, objecting to some films involving action and movement that starred Adel Imam, considering it a waste of his talent: "He wastes his talent on nonsense; how are we letting him make action films?"
Saleh continued to attack Adel Imam by stating in another comment in 1990 that he considered himself the star of Egyptian theater at a time when Adel Imam's talent was influenced by American action films that consumed his artistry, unlike the comedic roles he performed brilliantly.
Saleh linked Adel Imam's success to group work rather than individual endeavors, indicating that the most beautiful films in which Imam acted were when he collaborated with others, as he mentioned in the program "Sa'at Safa," adding that the presence of a sole star does not entertain the audience, unlike films featuring multiple actors.
