Ali Karim: Bassam Koussa’s roles did not reach a deep level of complexity Ali Karim criticizes the disparity in salaries among Syrian drama stars

A wave of controversy and criticism has been sparked by Syrian actor Ali Karim on social media platforms following recent statements in which he addressed his colleague Bassam Koussa. Many considered his remarks to be diminishing the value and long career of one of the most prominent figures in Syrian drama.

In the details of his statements, Karim pointed out that the roles performed by Bassam Koussa throughout his artistic career, despite their diversity and effort, did not reach—according to his view—the level of complexity and depth that qualifies an actor to be considered among the “top stars” of acting.

“Bassam Koussa’s performance quality”

On the other hand, Karim clarified that he does not deny Koussa’s quality as an actor, but he distinguished between “performance quality” and the ability to embody characters with complex psychological structures, considering this type of role to be the most important criterion in evaluating an actor’s artistic experience.

Karim’s remarks were not limited to his colleague, but also extended to Syrian drama in general, where he pointed to a clear weakness in character construction and a lack of psychological depth compared to some Arab and international productions, as he described.

“Restricting the space of creativity”

He added that a large number of characters appearing in Syrian productions over recent years were not built on coherent psychological foundations, which he believes has limited actors’ creative space and sometimes pushed them toward repetition and stereotypical performance.

Karim also criticized the disparity in salaries among some Syrian drama stars, stating that high wages do not always reflect true artistic value, but are sometimes linked more to marketing factors and relationships within the artistic industry than to performance quality or depth of experience.