Shamkhani responded to the controversy over his daughter’s wedding with a line from the movie Papillon.
Ali Shamkhani, an advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in Persian and Hebrew on Monday, October 20, in his first public reaction after the release of his daughter’s wedding video: ‘You bastards, I’m still alive.’
This sentence is a famous line from the American movie Papillon, directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, which tells the story of a man wrongfully imprisoned and exiled, who persistently and hopefully attempts to escape multiple times.
The release of Shamkhani’s daughter’s wedding video sparked widespread reactions in the country. Many social media users focused on the attire of Shamkhani’s daughter and wife, while others pointed out the lavish style of the ceremony, especially as government officials encourage people to live simply and adapt to a resistant economy.