Hollywood executive Arsalan Akhavan notes that despite its cultural richness, mainstream entertainment circumvents Iran. Set within the ancient and epic vaults of Just the Tonic’s Caves, Akhavan’s one-man show, The Good Iranian, sets out to fill in this hole by bringing to life an even more ancient and epic Iranian origin story.
Through the context of the national epic — or nameh — of Iran, the Shahnameh, Arsalan Akhavan (or “Arsi”, in the Deep South of America) tells us his story. And this story is absolutely worth hearing: the son of Iranians growing up in Georgia, in the wake of 9/11, his world transforms almost overnight. A cosmopolitan foreigner one day, he has become an immigrant from the “Axis of Evil” the next. A typical Third Culture Kid, Arsi doesn’t read or write Persian; the only origin story young Akhavan knows is the one told in the Bible Belt. His first trip to Iran is shown to us through his 12-year-old self as an aspiring Steve Irwin, camcorder in hand, as he humorously documents the wonders of Tehran. His outlook is that of a tourist looking in; his parents’ cultural heritage is a mere relic to him.
The creation and telling of this story connect him to his culture by developing a deeper connection to his mother’s work. Self-aware, affable, reflective, Arsi is our charismatic Persian-American Scheherazade, keeping us glued to our seats, eager to hear the next story.
Nevertheless, despite the self-awareness of storytelling, the TED Talk conference-style format of The Good Iranian was restrictive. A trained actor-turned-Hollywood-suit, Akhavan could have used even more innovative ways of telling epic stories, both personal and ancient. Characters enacted by Akhavan in the Shahnameh were less technicolour than the Shahnameh illustrations his mother has dedicated her career to studying. This is a shame, as he clearly oozes creativity. Possibly a shortcoming of the medium — I would be first to tune into a televised version of Akhavan’s story.
For a culturally rich, entertaining insight into what it is to be Iranian in the twenty-first century “West”, and a few good laughs, The Good Iranian is an excellent choice. You read it here first: Arsalan Akhavan is a name to watch.
