Majid Entezami: My Father Called Out Ali Hatami in His Last Days

Ezzatollah Entezami, a renowned Iranian cinema and theater actor, passed away on August 17, 2018. Among the last images shared of Mr. Entezami on social media was his congratulatory message for Nowruz 2018. In an interview with Majid Entezami, a musician and son of Ezzatollah Entezami, I asked him about his father's passing and the final days of his life. Majid Entezami: About two or three months ago, one night while he was alone in his room, he got up from sleep due to the sedative pills he was taking for his nerves, felt dizzy, and fell face-first to the ground. He bled from his forehead and nose. After a long time alone, we were unaware of his condition. About two hours later, when I found him, I saw he was bleeding. He was worried that he might have broken something. Eventually, we took him to the hospital by ambulance. The scans showed nothing was broken, but he was very restless, and they admitted him. Day by day, his condition worsened due to the head injury. He was in the hospital for about 22-23 days. Then they told me that the same care we provided in the hospital could be done at home since it was just a series of medications, and you know which ones to give in the morning and which at night. We hired a few nurses and brought him home. His condition continued to deteriorate. We contacted the doctor for guidance, or a doctor would come to the house to advise us. But eventually, it started with his kidneys not functioning properly, and his limbs swelled. When they tried to take his veins, they couldn't. Then his lungs became infected. In the end, we had to take him back to the hospital, but he passed away on the way. In his final days, my father mentioned Dariush Mehrjui, Gholamhossein Sa'edi, and repeatedly called out Ali Hatami's name. Majid Entezami: Was he aware in those last days? Did he understand, or was he unconscious? No, after that fall, sometimes yes (he was aware) and sometimes no. He remembered some things well, recognized some people well, and didn't recognize others. He forgot some things; it depended on his condition. I don't know if it was related to the medication or if he was better after resting, but when he spoke, he mostly talked about his work, about movements and staging, and since I was familiar with this type of conversation, I understood what he was saying. So in his last days, he talked about the old performances he acted in? Yes, he kept repeating the names of a few people. Who were they? Dariush Mehrjui, Gholamhossein Sa'edi, Ali Hatami. These were the people he mentioned. I didn't understand what he was saying in his conversations, but I heard these names. Mehrjui, Gholamhossein Sa'edi, Ali Jan, Ali Jan, Ali Jan... I heard these. Ali Hatami and Ezzatollah Entezami during the filming of 'Takhti', an unfinished work by Hatami, 1996. Yes, yes, but I didn't know what he was talking about with them. It didn't make sense to me. Mr. Entezami, when is the funeral and burial planned? The House of Cinema and my father's museum are jointly trying to hold a dignified ceremony. This program is scheduled to take place on Sunday from the Vahdat Hall, and the burial will conclude at Behesht Zahra.