The Lizard is Loose in Iran
A new film mocking the mad mullahs is doing sell-out business in Tehran, and the turbaned ones are getting upset. You know what that means. Seething and banning, on Islamic grounds: Sell-out film that pokes fun at the mullahs faces ban in Iran.
The film, The Lizard, follows the trail of an escaped thief, Reza Marmoulak, “Reza the Lizard”. It opens with the thief in hospital next to a dying cleric.
“There is no heaven or hell,” Reza tells the cleric as he steals his turban and robes. Reza, wearing his disguise, reaches a village near the Turkish border on his way to flee Iran. The people there have been expecting a cleric and mistake Reza for him. They follow him to the mosque, listen to his sermons and take his advice.
A 20-year-old filmgoer said: “It’s a hilarious film that shows how the public sees the mullahs. I still can’t believe it was allowed to be screened.”
The film, which has been a sell-out in Teheran, has had such an impact that it is common to hear youths yelling “Hey, Marmoulak” to passing clerics.