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Film starring Yusra and Ahmad Zaki. A brothel khawal (transvestite dancer) is unusually given a fully developed character. The plot involves the ill-fated love of an idealistic professor for a young prostitute in the pre-Nasser period.
The khawal acts both as a historical reference point for brothel culture in the 1930s and 1940s and as a kind of Greek chorus, observing and commenting on the drama that unfolds around him.
Despite his subservient position, the khawal Siksika maintains his personal dignity in every situation while other characters succumb to avarice and moral weakness. The name "Siksika" is a play on the word "saksuka" which means "goatee beard" even though Siksika lacks any facial hair and wears women's eye make-up.
He playfully and overtly flirts with the brothel's male clients. He is both wise and humorous at the same time. Siksika has left such a strong impression on the popular imagination that in Cairo street language "Siksika" is the term used to refer to an effeminate gay person.
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