Saq Al Bamboo is a realistic and riveting social drama with a stellar cast

In ‘Saq Al Bamboo’, the Korean-Vietnamese comedian plays a Filipino-Kuwaiti trying to make sense of his roots. 

When Wonho Chung took on the role of the Filipino-Kuwaiti character Eise Al Tarrouf in the Ramadan drama Saq Al Bamboo (Bamboo Stalk), he knew there would be a backlash. As a Korean-Vietnamese stand-up comedian who was raised in Jordan, Chung belonged neither to Kuwait nor the Philippines. He didn’t even belong to the world of TV drama. 

If anything, he was more comfortable on stage, in front of a live audience, making people laugh; he was best known for his flawless handle on colloquial Arabic, at odds with East Asian features.