Ori Benai on revisiting 'Parparim,' family, and an unexpected reality TV turn
Ori Benai said he was initially unaware of pop singer Oudia when her team asked to update his 26-year-old song “Parparim” with new lyrics. He said he needed a few days to approve the change, consulted people who knew Oudia better, and was ultimately pleased that the song gained another boost. Benai noted that children who were not yet born when the song first came out still hum it today, and said Oudia was not trying to compete with the original but to offer a fresh, modern interpretation. He also confirmed that the arrangement brings royalties.
Benai, the son of Gabi Banai, said he has spent years in the public eye through acting, music, and stage work, but had never planned to appear on reality television. That changed when he and his second wife, Anna, joined the couple competition “Power Couple” on Reshet 13, which airs Sunday at 21:15. He said the show became a major emotional experience and marked 12 years of marriage for them this week. Benai said he signed up mainly to strengthen their relationship after a period of strain, adding that he believed in the marriage from the beginning.
He said filming was more intense than he expected, especially because the production took their phones away at Ben Gurion Airport until they landed back in Israel. Benai, who never watches reality TV and says he does not even know the casts of shows such as “Big Brother,” “The Amazing Race,” or “The Next Star,” still praised the scale of the international production. He added that the couple had concerns about the children, but the pace of filming pulled them fully into the experience.
Benai said he has four children, two from his first marriage and two with Anna. His eldest daughter, Nina, is 23 and engaged. He said he may soon become a grandfather. He and Anna met while rehearsing a play, after he had divorced his first wife and thought he was done with marriage and children. Benai said Anna was 27 when they married, 15 years younger than him, and called her courageous.
Alongside the TV project, Benai continues to perform music with former “Florentin” co-stars Nir Friedman and Karine Ophir, and has long toured with his father Gabi and brother Boaz in “Kulam Hayu Banai.” He said the family show was created to give his father a new stage after “The Gashash Hahiver” ended and Israel (Poley) Poliakov died. Benai said his father, who is nearing 90, still performs with energy, and that the family is also considering a new project expanding their stories across Israel. He added that although he once considered living between Germany and Israel, he now sees Israel and Hebrew as central to his life and career.
