| L'Maktoub | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Drama |
| Written by | Fatine Youssoufi |
| Directed by | Alaa Akaaboune |
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin | Morocco |
| Original language | Arabic |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 60 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Connexion Media |
| Production location | Rabat |
| Cinematography | Othmane El Mansouri |
| Running time | 40 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | 2M |
| Release | 3 April 2022 (2022-04-03) |
L'Maktoub (English: Destiny) is a Moroccan drama television series written by Fatine Youssoufi and directed by Alaa Akaaboune. Season 1 of the drama was broadcast daily during Ramadan in April 2022, while Season 2 was aired in March and April 2023. L'Maktoub set new audience records and garnered the highest viewership figures ever recorded for a Moroccan television series.
Premise
L'Maktoub narrates the tale of a Halima, a Moroccan cheikha (female dancer/performer) who raises her daughter (Hind) as a single mother. The daughter eventually marries a wealthy businessman (Omar) with two daughters from a previous marriage, who immediately express their disdain towards their new stepmother. In the second season, the story continues from the death of the businessman, and depicts the luxurious life of his wife and newborn child, and the ongoing conflict between the cheikha and his stepdaughters.
Through the character of the cheikha, the show addresses the issues of prejudice and social harassment that performers and their children face.
Cast
- Amine Ennaji as Omar El Maataoui
- Meriem Zaimi as Batoul
- Dounia Boutazout as Halima
- Salwa Zarhane as Salima
- Hind Benjbara as Hind
- Rafik Boubker as Driss
- Soukaina Darabil as Fatima
- Rabii El Kati
- Hind Saâdidi
- Ouenza
- Anas El Hamdouchi
- Ayoub Gritaa
- Khadija Zeroual
Production
Before being accepted by 2M, L'Maktoub was rejected by the state broadcasting service twice as Youssoufi lacked the authorization to reproduce the storyline, which could have potentially resulted in copyright issues.
L'Maktoub was filmed in Rabat.
Viewership and reception
L'Maktoub became the most watched series in the history of Moroccan television in 2022. The series, produced by 2M, Morocco's leading television channel recorded an audience of over 9.63 million viewers for the eighth episode of Season 1. The show recorded 8 million viewers of the first episode of Season 2, achieving a 52% share of viewership, indicating that half of the Moroccan audience watching TV after iftar were watching the 2M channel. On YouTube, episodes reached a million views within hours of being uploaded.
Controversy was sparked by a video published by Salafist preacher Yassine El Amri, who accused 2M of normalizing the profession of a cheikha. El Amri called such female performers depraved and unworthy of respect, and argued that they should not be portrayed positively or neutrally on television. He also argued that the holy month of Ramadan should not be "profaned" by the broadcast of such programs. His comments prompted a strong response from supporters of the show and the actress who played the cheikha, Dounia Boutazout. They argued that the portrayal of the cheikha was a positive and realistic representation of a strong and successful woman and that the cheikha was an integral part of Moroccan culture and heritage.
References
- ^ MASAITI, Amira EL (2023-03-25). "Moroccan drama L'Maktoub leads Ramadan viewership ratings". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
- ""L'Maktoub", la série la plus regardée dans toute l'histoire des séries Marocaines". ALBAYANE (in French). 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
- ^ دحدوح (2023-03-25). "Moroccan drama L'Maktoub leads Ramadan viewership ratings". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
- MATIN, Nadia Ouiddar, LE. "Plus de 9,6 millions de personnes suivent la série "Al Maktoub"". lematin.ma (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - "L'maktoub, Saison 2: les révélations de son réalisateur Alâa Akaaboune". Le 360 Français (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-29.
- ""Al Maktoub": Quand l'amour s'oppose à la raison… Un dilemme à suivre, chaque jour sur 2M à 20h30". 2M.ma (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-29.
- ^ Latrech, Oumaima. "'Al Maktub': Moroccan Art Critic Lashes Out At El Amri for 'Unacceptable' Remarks". Morocco World News. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
- ""L'Maktoub", la série évènement sur 2M, qui pulvérise tous les records d'audience". Le 360 Français (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-29.
- Taybouta, Rime. "Après les propos polémiques d'Al-Omari, "El Mektoub" monte en flèche sur les moteurs de recherche". L'Opinion Maroc - Actualité et Infos au Maroc et dans le monde. (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-29.
- "Chikha et fière de l'être". www.maroc-hebdo.press.ma (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-29.