Iranian refugee takes centre stage at Arab Film Festival

An Iranian refugee who went to great lengths to look like pop icon Michael Jackson is the subject of a new documentary to be aired at the Arab Film festival in Sydney.

Iranian refugee takes centre stage at Arab Film Festival

Source: SBS

Abbas Sharhani has been hooked on Michael Jackson since he first came to Australia four years ago and fellow asylum seekers held at the same Darwin detention centre said he looked like the pop king.

After innumerable internet searches devoted to learning to dance and dress like the icon, Mr Sharhani underwent plastic surgery on his nose and straightened his hair to create a more Michael-esque appearance.  

Now the Iranian refugee is the subject of a short documentary about his life, Man in the Mirror, which will be screened at the Arab Film Festival.

“It’s not that easy to impersonate a legend… I’ve been training hard. I spend countless hours on my moves,” Mr Sharhani says, adding that Jackson is “just super lovable”.

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