By Firoze Hirjikaka
Parsis (Zoroastrians) – in India and abroad – are up in arms over the unflattering portrayal of ancient Persians in the recently released movie ‘300’. The cause of all this brouhaha is a B-grade action flick, whose only selling point is bloody gore and mindless violence.
Since much of what is printed in newspapers these days comprises doom and gloom, one conditions oneself to read them with a modicum of detachment and indifference. It’s a nasty world out there; and it would be prudent not to let it affect you personally. However, I found myself unable to be indifferent to the news item about Parsis (Zoroastrians) – in India and abroad – being up in arms over the unflattering portrayal of ancient Persians in the recently released movie ‘300’.
As a Parsi myself, I could not help experiencing a feeling of smug superiority, every time I read a news report about some Muslim cleric issuing a fatwa over some perceived blasphemy; or a Hindu mob going on a rampage over the desecration of a statue. Thank goodness, we are not like that, I thought. We Parsis are a tolerant race, with the ability to brush off perceived insults; and even to laugh at our peculiarities. Hence, it is disheartening to realize that some of us, at least, are cast in the same mould as those we deride.
If the entire issue wasn’t so pathetic, it would be laughable. The cause of all this brouhaha is a B-grade action flick, whose only selling point is bloody gore and mindless violence. Movies of this genre demand that the protagonists be divided into heroes and villains – there are no shades in between. In the battle of Thermopylae, the Persians were the vanquished. That is a historical fact. Naturally, they were cast as the bad guys – and vilified accordingly – some would say, to excess.
Not surprisingly Parsi ‘spokesmen’ have chimed in with their penny’s worth. A self-proclaimed Messiah of Bombay Parsis has seen fit to impart a portentous history lesson to the supposedly ignorant. A US-based Parsi reads political overtones – America’s present antagonism towards Iran – into the film’s bias.
The Iranians, of course, are having a field propaganda day. ‘300’ is being slammed as a US government-funded project to prepare Americans for the war against Iran. It’s a different mater that no one in Iran has seen the movie; but everyone seems to know about it. And everybody – housewives, teenagers, and ministry clerks – is shaking with fury. The movie has generated so much agitation in Tehran that it is one of the rare things that most people agree upon in that country.
Some are generating an e-mail petition against the film and hoping to get half of Tehran on board. The more scholarly are brushing up on the history of the Achaemenid Empire; noting that Herodotus had estimated the Persian army at 120,000 men – not one million, as the film claimed. The Iranian media has taken up arms against the movie as well, with a newspaper headline reading “300 against 70 million!” (Iran’s population). One evening newspaper had this headline “Hollywood has opened a new front in the war against Iran.”
Intentional or not, the timing of the computer-generated film – which depicts the ancient confrontation of Sparta and the Persian empire at the Battle of Thermopylae – could not have been more inflammatory. It was released on the eve of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, celebrating the Spring Equinox – not a particularly welcome season to be portrayed as ferocious, pillaging, deranged savages. And it has come as a godsend to the ruling clerics. Many ordinary Iranians are pretty pissed off at their government, but this movie has providentially offered common cause against the Great Satan. A government spokesman has declared the film to be a fabrication and an insult. There is a delicious irony here. The Achaemenid king – portrayed as a fall guy in the film – was a Zoroastrian; in other words one of those infidels that the Islamic rulers regard with scorn.
Nonetheless, many Iranians view the Achaemenid Empire as a particularly noble page in their history; and cannot understand why it has been singled out for such shoddy cinematic treatment. The Persians are shown in rags and their Great King practically naked and a monster. Historically, the Achaemenid kings wrote the world’s earliest recorded human rights declaration, and were opposed to slavery (so they were the good guys). Cuneiform plates show that their ancient capital, Persepolis, was built by paid staff, rather than slaves – as was customary in those days. And its preserved relief’s depict court dress of velvet robes, which proves that, if anyone was wearing rags around 500 B.C, it wasn’t the Persians.
For heaven’s sake, people! ‘300’ is an out an out violent movie that caters to the least common denominator. Its target audience would not recognize history if it got slapped in the face with it – nor would it care. Why are we giving it such undue importance, instead of treating it with the contempt it deserves?
And to my fellow Parsis, I would say: do not got provoked by such nonsense and leave the ‘religious scholars’ be in their self-delusional ivory towers. Nowruz is coming up soon. Let us go and see a Parsi comedy and have a hearty meal. Zoroastrianism is a joyous and tolerant religion. Let us keep it that way.
Original article here
This is with the report of the movie ‘300’ hurting the Parsis.Historically Perisanism is linked to Zoroastrianism in roots. This of course would be too much for the US Govt to realise and Hollywood to study.
Persian Zoroastrians had ‘Greats’like Cyrus who formed the first human charter and Darayus who was founder of roadways and postal systems.They never took slaves and religious tolerance was their moto. Unlike this, the West boast of Alexander the Great who because he couldnt match the splendour of Persepolis destroyed it. Alexander the Great? also is known for destroying the famous libraray at Babylon.
It is not surprising that those who call Alexander -‘ Great for his sucess in destroying, would mock Xerxes and Persia.
Hollywood at best Islamises Persia since Iran is now a Islamic country.Historically the Zoroastrian Persia weakened due to internal convertions of missoneries that took shelter in Persia against Rome. Once Rome was Christianised the battles against Persia and Zoroastrianism took a religious turn. With internal menace of convertions and external factor of religious wars the Zoroastrian Persian empire weakened. By then the new religion of Islam sprung up and took advantage of this and hit the iron on the head and with the missoneries saw the last bastion of Persia fall.
The victors this time were not Zoroastrian Persians and so like Alexander destroyed Persepollis , Persian Fire temples were dismantled and blatant forcefull convertions into Islam took place.
In 2007 we have original Persians Zoroastrians all over the world mainly in India known as Parsis as they took shelter in Gujrat , away from barbarians that could never handle victory and we also have a western cartoonist who portrays Xerxes and Persia as barbarians. Closing ones eyes to history due to its bitterness has repeated it. Like the heritage and fibre of Persian and Zoroastrianism was wiped out, the movie ‘300’ continues to destroy the truth!
Get a grip on reality.. then protest.
I sure have nothing against your community.. but stupid protests for non-reasons.. arent you behaving in the same manner as SIMI terrorists and Hindutva brigade ? Think about it.
This is with the report of the movie ‘300’ hurting the Parsis.Historically Perisanism is linked to Zoroastrianism in roots. This of course would be too much for the US Govt to realise and Hollywood to study.
Persian Zoroastrians had ‘Greats’like Cyrus who formed the first human charter and Darayus who was founder of roadways and postal systems.They never took slaves and religious tolerance was their moto. Unlike this, the West boast of Alexander the Great who because he couldnt match the splendour of Persepolis destroyed it. Alexander the Great? also is known for destroying the famous libraray at Babylon.
It is not surprising that those who call Alexander -‘ Great for his sucess in destroying, would mock Xerxes and Persia.
Hollywood at best Islamises Persia since Iran is now a Islamic country.Historically the Zoroastrian Persia weakened due to internal convertions of missoneries that took shelter in Persia against Rome. Once Rome was Christianised the battles against Persia and Zoroastrianism took a religious turn. With internal menace of convertions and external factor of religious wars the Zoroastrian Persian empire weakened. By then the new religion of Islam sprung up and took advantage of this and hit the iron on the head and with the missoneries saw the last bastion of Persia fall.
The victors this time were not Zoroastrian Persians and so like Alexander destroyed Persepollis , Persian Fire temples were dismantled and blatant forcefull convertions into Islam took place.
In 2007 we have original Persians Zoroastrians all over the world mainly in India known as Parsis as they took shelter in Gujrat , away from barbarians that could never handle victory and we also have a western cartoonist who portrays Xerxes and Persia as barbarians. Closing ones eyes to history due to its bitterness has repeated it. Like the heritage and fibre of Persian and Zoroastrianism was wiped out, the movie ‘300’ continues to destroy the truth!
Get a grip on reality.. then protest.
I sure have nothing against your community.. but stupid protests for non-reasons.. arent you behaving in the same manner as SIMI terrorists and Hindutva brigade ? Think about it.
>> The cause of all this brouhaha is a B-grade action flick,
B-Grade ?? eh?
>>>> Intentional or not, the timing of the computer-generated film – which depicts the ancient confrontation of Sparta and the Persian empire at the Battle of Thermopylae – could not have been more inflammatory.
The book was released years ago. December 1999 to be precise. Guess it wasnt so inflammatory then.
>>> As a Parsi myself, I could not help experiencing a feeling of smug superiority, every time I read a news report about some Muslim cleric issuing a fatwa over some perceived blasphemy; or a Hindu mob going on a rampage over the desecration of a statue. Thank goodness, we are not like that, I thought.
Yeah.. I can see that :)
>> The cause of all this brouhaha is a B-grade action flick,
B-Grade ?? eh?
>>>> Intentional or not, the timing of the computer-generated film – which depicts the ancient confrontation of Sparta and the Persian empire at the Battle of Thermopylae – could not have been more inflammatory.
The book was released years ago. December 1999 to be precise. Guess it wasnt so inflammatory then.
>>> As a Parsi myself, I could not help experiencing a feeling of smug superiority, every time I read a news report about some Muslim cleric issuing a fatwa over some perceived blasphemy; or a Hindu mob going on a rampage over the desecration of a statue. Thank goodness, we are not like that, I thought.
Yeah.. I can see that :)
Dear Shadow
No, you can not see.
If you had a great history, and you were from a great nation, you could see that. Someone with a 200 years civilized and 1000 years barbarian history can not see that. A nation history is not something to be played with and be changed just for fun. If you want to make fun of history, make fun of history of your nation, not others.
This nation introduced you to modern religions(religions like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam took their concepts of heaven and hell from Zoroastrian religion. They took their concept of God from Zoroastrian)
Achamenid Empire is the first Empire in world history. Most of Greek scientists/philosophers studied in Persia. Greek people were allowed to keep their religion for more than 300 years under Achamenids.
Feroze is right.
We do have a great history; a history that includes tolerance of idiots. This is precisely what distinguishes us from the Islamic lunatics who seek to issues fatwas at the drop of a hijab.
Always remember – Dhansak is more important than Xerxes
Enjoy and do not start acting as though somebody had set your beard alight
Dear Shadow
No, you can not see.
If you had a great history, and you were from a great nation, you could see that. Someone with a 200 years civilized and 1000 years barbarian history can not see that. A nation history is not something to be played with and be changed just for fun. If you want to make fun of history, make fun of history of your nation, not others.
This nation introduced you to modern religions(religions like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam took their concepts of heaven and hell from Zoroastrian religion. They took their concept of God from Zoroastrian)
Achamenid Empire is the first Empire in world history. Most of Greek scientists/philosophers studied in Persia. Greek people were allowed to keep their religion for more than 300 years under Achamenids.
Feroze is right.
We do have a great history; a history that includes tolerance of idiots. This is precisely what distinguishes us from the Islamic lunatics who seek to issues fatwas at the drop of a hijab.
Always remember – Dhansak is more important than Xerxes
Enjoy and do not start acting as though somebody had set your beard alight
I am so proud to see these positive messages, as the son of a parsi I take pride in my strong roots. I was blown away by the depiction of the Persians in this movie, and could not help but feeling mixed emotions. Xerxes is the son of Darius the great right? How could be portrayed as such a monster in this movie. And the way that the Persians were so hidious, and monster like faces. Were these Persians suppose to be portrayed as Zoroastrians?? The color of their skins varied from black, to dark brown, to asian features. Wherent the ancient persians really light skinned, colored eyes, and VERY civil people. I am so confused and very angry at this film. Please give me some more feedback.
I am so proud to see these positive messages, as the son of a parsi I take pride in my strong roots. I was blown away by the depiction of the Persians in this movie, and could not help but feeling mixed emotions. Xerxes is the son of Darius the great right? How could be portrayed as such a monster in this movie. And the way that the Persians were so hidious, and monster like faces. Were these Persians suppose to be portrayed as Zoroastrians?? The color of their skins varied from black, to dark brown, to asian features. Wherent the ancient persians really light skinned, colored eyes, and VERY civil people. I am so confused and very angry at this film. Please give me some more feedback.