White man’s burden: Leo to play Rumi in mystic’s biopic?

Downey Jr to essay Shams Tabrizi, decision draws criticism

Oscar-winning screenwriter David Franzoni is making Sufi mystic Jalaluddin Rumi’s biopic and has drawn criticism on social media for wanting to cast Leonardo DiCaprio as the protagonist.

The Gladiator writer aims to “challenge the stereotypical portrayal of Muslim characters in Hollywood,” reported The Guardian. David visited Istanbul to meet Rumi experts so that his team could start shooting the film next year. Franzoni said, “There are a lot of reasons we’re making a product like this right now. I think it’s a world that needs to be spoken to; Rumi is hugely popular in the United States. I think it gives him a face and a story.”

Franzoni and producer Stephen Joel Brown said they would like DiCaprio to play Rumi, and Robert Downey Jr to star as Shams of Tabriz. “This is the level of casting that we’re talking about,” said Stephen.



However, the news of a ‘white-washed Rumi’ didn’t go down too well with people who grew up admiring the theologian’s work.

Since the Titanic star doesn’t look like he was born in the area that is present day Afghanistan, and Iron Man actor Downey Jr bears no resemblance to Shams, fans took to Twitter to express their frustration over the casting.

Film and media critic Imran Siddique was extremely vocal about the announcement of the cast. “The idea that Leo DiCaprio is the best actor in the world for every part ever in history is all about worshipping whiteness,” he tweeted.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 10^th, 2016.

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