The series Underground takes as its theme the long reign of Nasir al-Din Shah (r. 1848–96), who was assassinated just short of his fiftieth jubilee. In Siamak Filizadeh’s telling of the tale, Nasir al-Din rules an underground city for fifty-year intervals, dies, is resurrected, and governs again exactly as before. While the narrative is ostensibly set in the past, its siting and meaning reference present-day Iran. Although Nasir al-Din came to the throne as a teenager, he is depicted in this coronation scene, and throughout the series, in middle age.
The accession scene is envisioned like a rock concert in which Nasir al-Din Shah sits on a fanciful throne wearing a recreation of the famous Kayanid crown, a twenty-four pound jewel-encrusted creation referencing a mythical Persian dynasty. The image introduces the cast of characters key to the biography of the shah, including his future assassin, Mirza Riza, as the lead singer of the rock band. Meanwhile, audiences in the balconies watch the performance while two angels loom overhead.
