Iranian star Hamed Behdad rejects proposal by Greek filmmaker Angelopoulos

TEHRAN,Dec.17(MNA) -- The Iranian movie star Hamed Behdad rejected a proposal for acting in a project that will be helmed by world-renowned Greek filmmaker Theo Angelopoulos. He visited Angelopoulos in Istanbul on Tuesday and was tested on Italian and French languages with Monica Bellucci, the Italian star who is scheduled to appear in the project. However, he refused to act in the project after he was informed about the film’s plot. “Although I am very interested in European cinema…, I refused to appear in the film because the film’s story conflicts with social and cultural beliefs in my country,” Behdad told . No title was mentioned for the project. Iranian cineastes have to gain the approval from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance before entering into any foreign project. Behdad had been bothered deeply by starring in 2009 in “No One Knows about Persian Cats”, an unauthorized film by self-exiled filmmaker Bahman Qobadi about official restrictions on music in Iran. Consequently, he declined to act in “Rhinos Season”, Qobadi’s next project, which was shot in Istanbul in March 2011, starring Bellucci and Behruz Vosuqi, the star of Iranian cinema before the Islamic revolution. Paris-based Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani has faced a ban after appearing in films depicting her in what Iranian officials claimed “improper scenes”. She starred in French film “If You Die, I Will Kill You!” by Kurdish-Iraqi director Hiner Saleem. Farahani left Iran in 2008 following her appearance in Ridley Scott’s spy thriller “Body of Lies”.