Navid Negahban: I Oppose Politicizing 'Baba Joon'

Navid Negahban, an Iranian Hollywood actor who recently played the lead role in the Israeli film 'Baba Joon' after his notable performance in the popular American series 'Homeland', stated during his fourth visit to Israel that he feels 'at home' in the country. The film 'Baba Joon', directed by Yuval Delshad, whose parents were Iranian Jewish immigrants to Israel, recently won the 'Israeli Oscar' and was also nominated as Israel's representative for the foreign film category at the 88th Academy Awards. Negahban, who has no connection to Judaism and was born into a Muslim family in Mashhad, was among other Iranian artists selected by the Israeli director for roles in the film, which was shot in southern Israel in recent months and has gained global attention since its release. This time, Mr. Negahban came to Tel Aviv for the film's premiere in Israeli cinemas; one night after its screening, he was invited to a group where the film was showcased in many cinemas across Israel, with advertisements for it frequently broadcasted in Israeli media. 'Baba Joon' depicts the lives of three generations of Iranian Jews in southern Israel; the grandfather emigrated from Iran and knows nothing but ostrich farming; his son (played by Negahban) has been his companion in maintaining this farm, but the 12-year-old grandson expresses that he does not want his life to resemble theirs, as he is passionate about mechanics and assembling parts. The film has rekindled the emotions of many Iranian Jews in Israel; they have always led a traditional and peaceful life, adapting to both good and bad, and are among the calmest people in Israel. Yuval Delshad has suddenly brought their lives to the screen with great sincerity and authenticity, avoiding cinematic exaggeration. With the release of 'Baba Joon', Negahban's face will forever be remembered by Israeli moviegoers for the warmth and skill he brought to his role. Although some reports referred to 'Baba Joon' as the first Persian-language film made in Israel, only part of the dialogues are in Persian with the accent and speech style of old Iranian Jews, while the main dialogue is in Hebrew. Negahban had to learn the Hebrew dialogues for his role but mentioned that the language, with its grammatical rules of masculine and feminine, is very challenging for him. In this trip, Negahban told the Israeli website Ynet that he opposes politicizing the film; claims that it is 'the first Persian-language film of Israel' or that 'the Persian-language film is Israel's representative for this year's Oscars' displeases him as it implies a political agenda. According to Negahban, such labeling harms the film's pure spirit and humanitarian message. He stated that winning an Oscar for this film does not matter to him; what matters are the moments when, for example, during its screening in Toronto, many Iranians approached him and said that the film felt like their own life. When asked by Ynet about his views on Iran's nuclear program, Negahban said he does not have much information on the matter and cannot comment; he can only hope for a day when all countries come closer and understand each other, emphasizing that we are all human and that the real problem lies with governments that fail to serve their people and instead subjugate them to their own goals. During his fourth visit to Israel, a new wave of Palestinian attacks on passersby, mostly with knives, is ongoing, affecting many aspects of life in the country. Nevertheless, Negahban is among several other international artists who have also been invited to Israel during this time and accepted the invitation. He expressed to Ynet that he feels comfortable being in Israel and added that when he was invited to participate in the film's premiere celebration, he did not hesitate for a moment to come to Israel under these circumstances. Negahban noted that he grew up amid the turmoil of the Iranian revolution and lost friends in the Iran-Iraq war; the current security situation in Israel does not scare someone like him. A Ynet reporter met with Negahban in the small kitchen of an Iranian Jewish family named Salimi on Nachlat Binyamin Street in Tel Aviv, describing how this charming Iranian actor humbly stood in line for a seat in this simple kitchen to enjoy Iranian food, which was certainly prepared in a kosher manner. Negahban mentioned that this place reminds him of a neighborhood near the Mashhad market where he was born and spent his childhood and teenage years. He left Iran in the 1980s, lived in Germany for eight years, and according to Ynet, struggled to make a living with odd jobs upon arriving in America until his fate changed in 2000 when he entered Hollywood; he had studied art in Germany. He has appeared in the film 'The Stoning of Soraya M.' and several other Hollywood films and series. Negahban played Abu Nazir, one of the al-Qaeda terrorist commanders, in the popular American series 'Homeland', which has been a more compelling and robust Hollywood adaptation of an Israeli series since its release in 2011. Parts of 'Homeland' were also filmed in the Jaffa area near Tel Aviv; Negahban mentioned that when Jewish Iranian business owners in Jaffa learned he was Iranian, they invited him for tea. At 47, Negahban, who has a daughter from his former wife, praised the beauty and simplicity of Israeli girls, who are friendly and straightforward, contrasting them with the behavior of Iranian Angelenos. He told Ynet that when asked about his longing for Iran, he tells them, 'A person carries their homeland in their heart wherever they go' (a poetic reference likely inspired by the beloved poem of Dr. Mohammad Reza Shafiei Kadkani, a great Iranian poet: 'I wish a person could carry their homeland like violets').