"No one knows what the historic Rumi looked like, as all representations of him are based entirely on the imagination of artists who lived centuries after his demise." Wikimedia/Molavi. Public domain.As a producer who has unsuccessfully shopped this idea for some time, I was nothing short of giddy to hear the news that there’s now a major Hollywood biopic brewing based on the life of the great Persian poet, mystic and philosopher Jalāl ad-Dīn Rumi (also known as Mawlana).
Given my excitement at hearing the news I was taken aback, if not entirely surprised, by the near-immediate backlash to the possibility of Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert Downey Jr. playing the roles of Rumi and Shams of Tabriz. Hardly had the news become public when a hashtag, #RumiWasntWhite, appeared on Twitter and a great many people started letting their opinions be known in various outlets.
So I feel it my duty as a Persian-speaking Iranian American filmmaker to chime in here and correct a number of erroneous, if well-meaning, misconceptions.
