Harper’s Bazaar Arabia 200th Anniversary Issue: Aicel Ramzy, Sawsan Badr And Yasmina El Abd On Lessons In Love

Introducing the Harper’s Bazaar Arabia x Cartier LOVE cover series, celebrating the 200th April 2025 issue of Harper’s Bazaar Arabia…

There’s a familiarity that makes you instantly believe this tight-knit trio is family; that’s why millions of Netflix views tuned into hit drama Finding Ola, truly invested in how this very diverse clan would navigate the heroine’s change of circumstance as she set out into the world after an unexpected divorce. Their bonds are so convincing, they blur the boundaries between reality and fiction. If anything, their off-screen closeness trumps their on-screen chemistry. Egyptian-Swiss Yasmina El Abd, 18, plays teenage Zeina, best friend and confidante to Aicel Ramzy’s Nadia who is caught in the midst of her parent’s turmoil. Meanwhile Sawsan Badr embodies matriarch Soheir who clings to old-fashioned societal notions of propriety. Viewers can instantly identify with the characters; but now it’s time to discover the personalities behind the lens.

“I love her. I miss her all the time because we’re both busy, so we don’t get to meet up a lot,” sighs Aicel when she sees Yasmina on set, highlighting that in this case, life really does imitate art. “Zeina and Nadia are always together, and we really try to meet up as much as possible but we live far from each other so it’s not always easy,” agrees Yasmina. She adds, “Aicel is such a hard-working and confident person, and I really respect and love her so much.”

This duo’s first ever encounter was on set – where they were thrown into filming a fight scene from the get go. Luckily, they both clicked, though both admit to have been intimidated about working with Sawsan, whose status in the industry is legendary. “I was nervous, because she’s a diva, an icon,” says Aicel. “But she was so kind and lovely. I felt like she was my grandma.”

“All of Sawsan’s most iconic scenes flashed through my mind,” Yasmina recalls, star struck during her first sight of the famed actress. “The lighting was on her, she was glowing – it was like a beacon – it was so cinematic.”

This duo soaked in whatever advice their new mentor would give them. Yasmina recalls that Sawsan tried to teach them that “What we do is important, but it doesn’t define us. What matters most is what happens behind closed doors — your home, your relationships, your personal growth. She emphasised that having a strong circle, prioritising your mental health, and maintaining meaningful relationships are far more important than any success you gain from a show or career.”

Sawsan herself touches upon this when she tells us, “I strive to be a source of support, a place of trust. I deeply value these qualities in any relationship I form. Because even if that connection is temporary, whether it’s a passing phase in life or a project like a TV series, what matters is the bond formed along the way. I want them to recall how helpful and supportive I was when they think of me. That when they confided in me – with their joys or worries – I was someone they could trust.”

It is clear that Sawsan feels protective towards the “Undeniably gifted young girls.” She adds that, “The first time I saw Yasmina and Aicel was during rehearsals, at the table read. I instantly loved them. They were still standing at that threshold between little girls and young ladies.”

Sawsan’s outlook in life is reflected in the role she plays in Finding Ola. “For most people, the relationship between a grandmother and her granddaughter is never easy. It’s a connection between two completely different generations. But as grandmothers, with our age, comes experience, wisdom, and the intelligence to recognise that we won’t always be able to relate to or approve of everything they do. They live in a world entirely different from ours.”

She continues, saying “That’s why we need to be smart about how we pass down our knowledge. There are certain lessons – feminine, womanly, deeply rooted experiences – that can only be passed from one generation of women to the next. But to truly pass them on, we must be mindful of how we communicate with them. Advice shouldn’t be given harshly or imposed like a rigid lesson. None of us like being lectured.”

“So the real challenge is figuring out how to share these insights in a way that keeps them alive across generations of women. Some things must remain ingrained, passed down like an inheritance. The question is, how do we say them?” After a pregnant, dramatic pause Sawsan declares, “I think that’s something we all need to pay attention to, as parents and as an audience. I hope the audience understood that and felt it in the sometimes-tense relationship between Soheir and her granddaughter.”

Lead Image Credits: Aicel, Sawsan and Yasmina wear Cartier Love Jewellery, all Cartier.
Aicel wears: Top, Genny. Sawsan wears: Top, Kristina Fidelskaya. Jumpsuit, Max Mara. Shoes, Roger Vivier. Yasmina wears: Dress, Zimmermann

Editor-in-Chief: Olivia Phillips. Acting Editor-in-Chief: Sophia Serin. Creative Director: Marne Schwartz, Tamim Mortaza; Vice President: Farrah Taylor. Group Managing Editor & Words: Natasha Faruque. Art Director: Paul Solomons. Photographer: Mattia Guolo, Vladimir Marti. Movement: Jamie Neale, Adrien Galo. Production: Steff Hawker, Jean-Marc Mondelet. Make-up Direction: Anna Sadamori, Raffaele Romagnoli. Set Styling: Camille Rousseau. Videography: Maycon Dehan. Fashion: Gabriela Cambero, Charlotte Marsh-Williams. Hair Direction: Jean-Luc Amarin, Adam Garland. Nail Artist: Nafissa Djabi, Leyla Mistry. Photography Assistants: Alessia Azzolini, Alessio Spanu, Manfredi Prestigiacomo, Macky Navarro; Videography Assistants: Larissy Leandro. Production Manager: Gijo Thomas. Image Editor: Jemima Joy. Production Coordination: Erin Steel, Chloe Christodoulou, Marina Moravenova. Hair Assistants: Tracey Nguyen, Yihan Jen, Ziyan Zhang, Wenting Zhangn, Bella Hudgell. Make-up Assistants: Ismahane Benabbou, Natalia Bokan, Roberto Meloni, Sitara Nash, Gabriel Leggieri. Nail Assistants: Yasmine Hilali. Editorial: Milli Midwood, Meeran Mekkaoui.