Film

Some White Filmmakers Are Chasing Leonardo DiCaprio To Play Muslim Poet Rumi In A New Movie

Happy Ramadan, everyone!

by Meg Watson  7 June 2016

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Today is the first day of Ramadan — the beginning of the holy month in which many Mulims around the world practice fasting in a period of prayer and self-examination. In the words of London’s new mayor Sadiq Khan, this is a vital lesson in “sacrifice, reflection and humility”, but abstaining from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset isn’t exactly a whole lot of fun. And, it’s certainly not made any easier by the news that the legacy of one of the world’s most revered Islamic poets and scholars is about to get highjacked by a few white dudes on the big screen.

In an interview published on The Guardian overnight, Hollywood screenwriter David Franzoni (Gladiator) and producer Stephen Joel Brown (Se7en, The Fugitive) have announced their involvement with an upcoming project centred upon the life of 13th-century Islamic icon Jalaluddin al-Rumi. They stated the film would be produced in an effort to challenge negative portrayals of Muslim characters on screen and highlight the great work of a man Western audiences know very little about.

They then said they were looking at actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio to play Rumi (who was born in Afghanistan) and Robert Downey Jr to play Shams Tabriz (a decidedly non-white mystic who heavily influenced in the poet’s work).

This is not going down so well.

Many Muslims (including comedian Aamer Rahman, podcast host and author Rabia Chaudry, and academic Susan Carland) have taken issue with the news, labelling it another instance of Hollywood whitewashing the stories and history of people of colour. Though the casting choice is far from being confirmed, the desire to bring (white) star power to the project seems to be the same logic that led to films like Prince of Persia existing with Jake Gyllenhaal front-and-centre and no Middle Eastern actors by his side. Despite increasing controversy, it continues to be one of western cinema’s worst traditions.

US filmmaker and critic Imran Siddiquee has been one of the most vocal to criticise this move today, positioning the statements inside the broader problems of the industry at large.

“It’s not just about DiCaprio or RDJ being cast, they may or may not be, it’s that the men in charge of the film think this is a great idea,” he wrote on Twitter. “These are the men who have the funding and support to make a major Hollywood film about Rumi. And they think DiCaprio is the best choice. The idea that Leo DiCaprio is the best actor in the world for every part ever in history is all about worshipping whiteness. This is what we mean when we say that centering whiteness in your story is a choice — it always carries a meaning.”

Happy Ramadan, everyone!

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If you’re interested to learn more about Ramadan have a read up over here. It’s probably best to look into Rumi’s work before this movie comes out too.