Ali Nasirian on Death of Javar Vali:
His Vacant Place Cannot Be Filled Soon
Ali Nasirian, renowned Iranian actor, told irantheater.ir that he was still in shock and awe over the death of Davoud Rashidi, a noted stage and screen actor and director, which was to face the demise of Jafar Vali.
“The news saddened me a lot because Vali was a great artist and had done a lot for Iran theater,” Mr Nasirian said.
He regretted that Mr Vali, who had such rich knowledge and experience, had to grapple with joblessness and the situation pushed him to play the roles that he had regretted it later.
The vacant places of artists such as Rashidi and Vali would not be filled soon, Mr Nasirian opined, urging that it was better to pay tribute to these figures when they were alive rather than after their death for they know that the society would care about them and had not forsaken their efforts.
He also suggested that the best way to commemorate a late artist was to review his/her career.
The actor reminded that Jafar Vali was a friend of Gholamhossein Saedi, the late legendary author whose story “Cow” is an important part of Iran theater and cinema history, and staged many of his works.
Jafar Vali, the veteran artist, was hospitalized on December 8 due to heart and lung problems. He passed away on December 17.
He was a stage director, actor and playwright who received awards such as an honorary diploma for the best script (Maryam and Mitil) from the 9th International Children and Young Adults Film Festival in 1993. He was nominated for the best supporting actor (The Reward of Silence) in the 25th Fadjr International Film Festival in 2006 and the 11th Cinema House Festival in 2007.
He was buried today in a ceremony attended by Iran artists and officials.