“Monsieur Aznavour” adds Armenian actors to cast as film starts production
Posted on June. 29. 2023
MONSIEUR AZNAVOUR has added several Armenian actors to its cast, as the film entered production in France, the Armenian Film Society reports.
Nariné Grigoryan will play Knar Baghdasarian, Charles Aznavour’s mother; Hovnatan Avédikian, son of Serge Avédikian, will play Misha Aznavourian, Charles Aznavour’s father. The film will also feature Tigran Mekhitarian in an unspecified role.
The film started production in Normandy as well as Paris, including a scene that was filmed at the Armenian Cathedral of St. John the Baptist on Jean Goujon Street in Paris for the funeral of Charles Aznavour’s mother, who passed away in 1966.
Tahar Rahim will portray Charles Aznavour. The actor is a two-time César Award-winner and is known for his work on projects such as the Academy Award-nominated A PROPHET, THE PAST, THE SERPENT, THE MAURITANIAN, and can next be seen in Ridley Scott’s NAPOLEON.
MONSIEUR AZNAVOUR will chart Charles Aznavour’s rise to stardom in the 1950s and his friendships with many artists, including Edith Piaf, who took him with her on a tour of France and the United States. The film will be directed by singer-turned-filmmakers Mehdi Idir and Grand Corps Malade.
Producer Jean-Rachid Kallouche, who is married to Katia Aznavour, the daughter of Charles Aznavour, says the late singer gave him his blessing to produce his biopic before his passing in 2018, and that it was his idea to have the film focus on the first part of his life— “from zero to fame.”
The film is estimated for a release in 2024 to mark Charles Aznavour’s centenary.