Kaboria (, English: "Crabs") is a 1990 Egyptian boxing film directed by Khairy Beshara It stars Ahmed Zaki, Raghda, Hussein El-Imam, and written by Issam Al-Shamaa. The film tells the story of Hassan Hodhud, a poor boxer who dreams of titles and glory. By chance, he participates in a match in the palace of a wealthy man. The audience admires him, he gets a large financial return, and then, he moves to live in the palace.
Kaboria was theatrically released in Egypt on August 27, 1990, by Tamido Film Production and Distribution (Medhat El Sherif). It received positive reviews from critics and achieved a great financial success. Ahmed Zaki's haircut in the film was known as "Kaboria" and was widely popular among youngsters in Egypt. The character of Hassan Hodhud is actually real, and Ahmed Zaki stayed with him for about two weeks to master it. The cast also includes Cate Blanchett in her film debut as an extra.
Hassan Hodhud is a poor young man who loves boxing, and dreams with his friends Mahmoud and Mustafa to reach the Olympics. Hassan and his friends pass by the float of the millionaire, Suleiman, so his wife, Horreya, invites them to participate in boxing matches in their elegant palace in exchange for attractive financial rewards.
While Hassan HodhudâÂÂs matches with his other young competitors are subject to imaginary bets between Horreya and Suleiman, Hassan achieves impressive victories to get huge money rewards. He moves to live in Suleiman's Palace, where Horreya seeks to seduce him, but he rejects her, so she pronounces him and decides to avenge her dignity. Hassan discovers that he has become a puppet that both Suleiman and his wife Horreya tamper with, so he throws what he has earned in their face and abandons wealth and palaces to return to the popular neighborhood in which he resides, starting again in new rounds of boxing, content with the looks of his beloved.