Interesting. It does seem to be pronounced so that the first syllable rhymes with "last" and so would remind people of "dastardly."
I'm surprised because the writers of the film evidently did look up a real Persian name for the character (though the pronunciation they use may not be the real Persian one.)
The Complete Book of Muslim & Parsi Names by Maneka Gandhi and Ozair
Husain includes two Persian names that could be the basis for Dastan:
Dāstān, which is said to mean "history, romance, fable"
and
Dastān, which is said to mean "strong, powerful", and is an alternative name for Zal, the father of
Rustam.
Rustam was a major figure in Persian legends.
I'd guess the screenwriters found a mention of
Rustam's father under the name Dastān in the
Rustam legend and decided it would be a great choice for their character, since it fits "two syllables ending in -n" pattern so popular for American boys these days.
This message was edited 7/30/2013, 9:23 AM