Curtain falls on Iranian comedy

Iran’s government has banned a wildly popular film which gently mocks the country’s powerful Islamic clergy, the film’s director said May 16.

Bowing to mounting criticism from hardline clerics, the ministry of culture and Islamic guidance decided to stop screenings of The Lizard.

“The producer is not going to challenge the decision,” said the director, Kamal Tabrizi, in an interview. “We expected that people -- seminary students and clerics -- would like the film and welcome it by looking at its deeper meaning. However, the film faced harsh criticisms based on prejudice.”

Setting box-office records since it opened on Apr. 21, The Lizard tells of a jailed thief, Reza, who escapes by stealing clerical robes and then finds himself winning a large following in a mosque. His jaded sensibilities are gradually transformed, and in the end he finds his way to faith. In the most irreverent scenes, he mumbles his way through prayers and flirts with a young woman.

Vigilantes broke into a cinema in the town of Rasht and stole copies of the film last week, and it was banned by city authorities in Mashad. (The Guardian)