Silence has prevailed at a film awards ceremony in the central city of Yazd in Iran last Friday, as a renowned Iranian actress kissed a young director when presenting the prize for top director.
The London-based daily, Al Sharq Al Awsat, has reported that star Gohar Kheirandish and director Ali Zamani landed in prison, as judicial authorities in Iran ordered the detention of both stars, for causing a scandal among conservatives.
The renowned 50-year old actress, Kheirandish, was reported to be returning to Yazd to face the charges, whereas, the young director was released on bail of about $2000.
Iranian cleric, Mohsen Taleb Poor, representative of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Yazd, called for pursuing the “guilty” and bringing them to the court.
The Iranian daily, Al I’timad, reported Thursday that Mohammed Ali Bakdal, the security chief at the Iranian Ministry of Culture in Yazd, was also detained for allegedly helping the suspects flee the city. However, he was later released on bail of unknown amount.
During the festival the Kheirandish has kissed Zamani in front of an audience of 2000 persons while he was climbing the stage to receive his award. This action has aroused the conservatives in Yazd who perceived it as “immoral behavior.”
The paper cited Zamani saying that, “she was deeply affected by my speech about her late husband who was my teacher. So she shook hands with me and kissed me as her son.”
On another note, another overt kiss sparked a storm of condemnation when the Mayor of the City of Ardabil (northwest Iran) was kissed by a girl during the inauguration of a garden in the city. - Albawaba.com
