February 1, 2005

Top comedian, Hamid Reza Mahisefat, center, performs during a Parsian Electronic Commerce Company party in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 14, 2005. (AP/Vahid Salemi)

TEHRAN (AP) - Comic Hamid Reza Mahisefat only has to walk out on stage to get his audience up on their feet and roaring, anticipating a few moments' diversion from the anxieties of daily life in a country tense from political infighting and economic hard times.

Mahisefat's rubbery face, relaxed style and humour based on gentle observations of human foibles have made him Iran's most popular comedian, even though he has never received exposure from television or radio, which is state-controlled.

State broadcasters find his style too informal and some of his jokes too risque, but many Iranians embrace him as their version of the British comic character Mr. Bean.

His secret may be that he stays away from politics and treads carefully when it comes to religion, two areas that have mixed explosively in Iran.

Iran is a theocracy where hard-line politicians have for years been deadlocked with reformists who want an easing of social restrictions. The sometimes violent political stalemate has been accompanied by economic stagnation.

In a country where young women are discouraged from exchanging jokes or even laughing with men who are not their relatives, Mahisefat says moderation is the secret of his success.

Mahisefat gets $1,000 US or more for a 30-minute show for a private company or wedding party. That is about three times the monthly pay of a government clerk, but he says he usually does only a few shows a month.

"I have a small home. I do make ends meet, but I'm not a millionaire," he says.

Mahisefat believes the ruling establishment should thank him because his shows depict a good image of Iran.

"The authorities know my intention is nothing but to bring smiles to faces . . . they should even be happy because I'm working to reduce social tensions," he says.

The comic has performed for free for the poor and the disabled and says he also has appeared at Evin, a prison north of Tehran notorious as the home of political prisoners. In a rare foray into political humour, he jokes in an interview that he may end up at Evin someday as a prisoner himself.

In 2001, hardline religious vigilantes disrupted Mahisefat's show in the northeastern city of Mashhad. The issue wasn't his material. The hard-liners were offended that any kind of entertainment would be staged in a holy city that holds the tomb of a revered Shiite Muslim cleric.

Yet, in a rare verdict against such actions, a normally hardline court convicted two of the vigilantes of "disrupting social order" and ordered them lashed.

"I never disrespect people's beliefs or Islamic sentiments," Mahisefat says.

His press releases include a saying from Islam's Prophet Mohammed: "A sign of those going to paradise is that they smile all the time." He also quotes Ali, Mohammed's son-in-law and a revered figure among Shiites, the majority in Iran: "After health, laughter is God's greatest blessing." >>> More

Sent by Darius Kadivar

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