TEHRAN – Iranian director Mehran Ranjbar plans to bring late soccer star Diego Maradona back to life in a play, which will go on stage at Tehran’s Neauphle-le-Château Theater on Friday.

Speaking to the Persian service of MNA on Tuesday, Ranjbar said that since his childhood, Maradona was his legendary soccer hero, and added that since his death in 2020, he has been planning to stage a play about him.

However, he was forced to cancel the plan due to his mother’s death, which led him into deep depression.

“Now, with great contributions and help from my crew, we are ready to bring the play on stage,” said Ranjbar who has previously directed the biographical plays “Steve Jobs” and “Marlon Brando”.

“Since childhood, I was an ardent fan of Maradona and the Argentina national football team and by this play, I want to pay tribute to the late legendary soccer who took great pains to enter the world of football and become a champion for many people of the world and football aficionados,” he added.

Compared to “Steve Jobs” and “Marlon Brando”, Ranjbar said that his new play “Maradona” does not need to observe numerous parameters that were determined for his previous plays.

“It is about football; ‘Maradona’ is really simple and romantic; the ambiance of the play is operatic and romantic,” he noted.

Milad Moayyer, Mehdi Yeganeh and Alireza Abdolkarimi are the members of the cast.

Ranjbar planned to stage a play on Che Guevara in 2020. Written by Hamidreza Naeimi, the play was about the last few days of life of the prominent communist figure in the Cuban Revolution. However, he could not implement the plan due to the pandemic.

Ranjbar participated in the 38th Fajr International Theater Festival in Tehran in 2020 with “Marlon Brando”.

The play won Meqedi Shamirian the award for best costume designer.

In addition, Farzin Mohaddes, the star of his play “Steve Jobs” was honored at the 16th Iranian Stage Actors Celebration in 2019.

Ranjbar is also the writer and director of the acclaimed play “French Café”, which was staged at Tehran’s Baran Theater in 2015.

The play lampoons Iranian expatriates. Heshmat and Morad, who have changed their names to Leone and Monaco after their arrival in France, are interested in intellectual discussions, but they still live with nostalgia for the dried fruits and sour plums sold in Tehran’s Tajrish Square.

Photo: A poster for Mehran Ranjbar’s play “Maradona”.

MMS/YAW