February 14-2014
An actor who was banned from Iranian television and films throughout President Ahmadi-nejad’s eight yearsin office is now allowed to be seen again.
Mahmud Basiri said back in 2012 that he assumed he ceased getting any acting work in 2005, after Ahmadi-nejad became president, because he looks a little bit like the president.
Basiri said he was never told by the government that he had been barred from film and broadcasting, but he assumed his resemblance must be the reason he got no jobs.
He said he recently got his first offer in years—to play the role of the president in a film. He turrned it down.
In an interview with the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), he said he would not play the role of Ahmadi-nejad unless he received consent from the former president.
The 66-year-old actor—who is nine years older than Ahmadi-nejad—is well-known in Iran, mainly for comedic roles on TV during a long career.
Basiri said he learned of the ban when he received calls from lawyers asking if he was aware that he was no longer allowed to perform. But he didn’t say that he ever learned who issued the ban or why.
“I used to laugh it off at first and could not believe it, but the rumors gradually became a reality,” Basiri said.
He complained that apart from a few fellow actors, no one else seemed to care what happened to him after he was banned.
Basiri said his picture had even been removed from review clips of his TV shows.
He said he had no issue with anyone and that he was fundamentally against character roles that make fun of individuals.
Basiri said he recently turned down a film offer that was “a project related to the presidential elections.” The film producers said they would get him a jacket similar to Ahmadi-nejad’s trademark windbreaker.
“I immediately got up and said: ‘Thank you very much, I don’t even want to drink your tea’. Then I left the meeting,” he said.