Rent-a-Mama is inspired by my aunt in
Beirut who never coloured outside the
lines and only defined herself by her role
as a mother and housewife. By throwing
her into a hyper-progressive environment,
away from everything she knows, I wanted
to imagine her coming into her own and
discovering the truest version of herself.
With Nuhad, a middle-aged Arab,
full-bodied woman as the protagonist,
and her experiences, struggles and desires
at the center of the story, Rent-a-Mama
brings about a much-needed change in the
TV landscape. It also gives a platform to a
diverse, open-minded yet misunderstood
youth, creating an important bridge
between two opposing worlds, fostering
empathy and understanding
between generations.
The inherent comedy comes through
these interactions, but the story will always
be rooted in Nuhad’s emotional journey
of emancipation and the evolution of her
strained mother/daughter relationship
with Tala.