Shahrzad (TV series)
Shahrzad (Persian: شهرزاد shahrzād) is an Iranian romantic and historical drama series. The series is written by Hassan Fathi and Naghmeh Samini and directed by Hassan Fathi [1] The storyline is set around and after the 1953 Iranian coup d'état.[2][3] The Shahrzad series is licensed by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Iran and available online and in CDs around the country.[4] Due to its international popularity, it has been dubbed and aired in Urdu, Arabic, French, Spanish[5] and Russian.[6]
| Shahrzad | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Drama Romance Historical Mystery |
| Written by | Hassan Fathi Naghmeh Samini |
| Directed by | Hassan Fathi |
| Starring | Taraneh Alidoosti Shahab Hosseini Ali Nasirian Mostafa Zamani Parinaz Izadyar Mahdi Soltani Mahmoud Pak Niat Abolfazl Poorarab Jamshid Hashempour Reza Kianian Amir Hossein Rostami Roya Nonahali Ateneh Faghih Nasiri Amir Jafari |
| Theme music composer | Mohsen Chavoshi |
| Composer(s) | Amir Tavassoly |
| Country of origin |  |
| Original language(s) | Persian |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 59 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Mohammad Emami |
| Production location(s) | Tehran Isfahan |
| Cinematography | Nooshin Jafari |
| Editor(s) | Mahdi Hoseinivand |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Distributor | Tasvir Gostar Pasargad (Iran) Lotus Play (Iran) |
| Release | |
| Original network | Video Rental Services |
| Picture format | 16:9 |
| Audio format | Dolby Digital 5.1 |
| Original release | 12 October 2015 – 11 June 2018 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Storyline
Iranian bureaucrat Bozorg Agha is the head of a very powerful mafia syndicate who had a strong role in the coup d'état against Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh's government on 18 August 1953.[7] The son and daughter of two of Bozorg Agha's henchmen, Shahrzad and Farhad, are about to get married. During the coup chaos, Farhad gets arrested and sentenced to death. Bozorg Agha uses the influence he has amongst the coup heads to set Farhad free on the condition that Shahrzad agrees to break her engagement to him and marry the nephew of Bozorg Agha, Ghobad. Ghobad is already married to the sterile daughter of Bozorg Agha, Shirin, who does not take kindly to her husband's growing love for his second wife. The conflict created by these circumstances as well as the political activities of Farhad set the background for the story. The series follows the troubled lives of the people under the control of Bozorg Agha's rule as well as the ongoing rivalry between Bozorg Agha and other corrupt political leaders of the time.[8]
Production
The cast of the 28-episode series includes over 200 artists. Considering the professional team behind the camera plus two years spent on pre-production and four months of shooting, it is the biggest project by the private sector for the home video network.[9]
Location
The series was shot in Ghazali Cinematic Town in the western part of Tehran. Covering an area of 10 hectares, the complex was established in 1971 by the late director Ali Hatami, partially simulating old Tehran. It comprises various state and historic buildings; streets, and places similar to more than 100 years ago decorated by Italian decorators, particularly Gianni Cortina. Other locations are the Museum of the Qasr Prison, Vossug ed Dowleh House, House dr Mohammad Moin, Naderi Café, Passenger Terminal, Sulaimaniyah Palace and Baharestan Square camerawork.[10] Another location that resonated with the Armenian community in Iran is the Armenian Club that is used for weddings and outings by the Armenians. This club is used in the very first few parts of episode one of Shahrzad as a meeting place for Farhad and Shahrzad.
Cast
- = Main cast (credited)
- = Recurring cast (3+)
- = Guest cast (1-2)
Main cast
| Actor | Character | Seasons | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | ||
| Taraneh Alidoosti | Shahrzad Saadat | Main | |
| Shahab Hosseini | Ghobad Divansalar | Main | |
| Ali Nassirian | Bozorg Agha Divansalar | Main | |
| Mostafa Zamani | Farhad Damavandi | Main | |
| Parinaz Izadyar | Shirin Divansalar | Main | |
| Mehdi Soltani | Hashem Damavandi | Main | |
| Gelareh Abbasi | Akram Bourbouran | Main | |
| Houman Barghnavard | Colonel Teymouri | Main | |
| Pantea Panahiha | Sharbat | Main | |
| Parviz Fallahipour | Nosrat Pashaei | Recurring | Main |
| Amirhossein Fathi | Homayoun Mohtadi | Recurring | Main |
| Ghazal Shakeri | Azar Goldarrei | Main | |
| Mahmoud Pakniat | Jamshid Saadat | Main | |
| Abolfazl Pourarab | Heshmat Pashaei | Main | |
| Amirhossein Rostami | Babak Yeganeh | Main | |
| Mina Vahid | Maryam Mehrzad | Main | |
| Fariba Motekhasses | Marzieh | Recurring | |
| Soheyla Razavi | Parvin | Recurring | |
| Nahal Dashti | Mitra Damavandi | Recurring | |
| Mona Ahmadi & Maasoumeh Beygi | Simin Saadat | Recurring | |
| Nasim Adabi | Homeyra Saadat | Recurring | |
| Ramin Naser Nasir | Houshang | Recurring | |
| Pasha Jamali | Asghari | Recurring | |
| Jamshid Hashempour | Major Fouladshekan | Recurring | |
| Jamshid Gorgin | Shahram Behboudi | Recurring | |
| Manouchehr Zendehdel | Colonel Soheili | Recurring | |
| Hadi Ghomeyshi | Mr. Shirvani | Recurring | |
| Banipal Shoomoon | Esfandiari | Recurring | |
| Saghi Zinati | Malmal Taherkhanlou | Recurring | |
| Roya Nonahali | Belgheys Divansalar | Main | |
| Reza Kianian | Shapour Behboudi | Main | |
| Amir Jafari | Captain Aparviz | Main | |
| Ateneh Faghih Nasiri | Soraya | Recurring | |
Recurring cast
| Actor | Character | Seasons | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | ||
| Mehran Nael | Mr. Arshad | Recurring | |
| Farshid Samadipour | Zabih | Recurring | |
| Parviz Bozorgi | Rajab | Recurring | |
| Mohammad Yeganeh | Asad Ghiasi | Recurring | |
| Nahid Moslemi | Batool | Recurring | |
| Sam Nouri | Sedgh Nouri | Recurring | |
| Abbas Zafari | Akram's father | Recurring | TBA |
| Parisa Sabournezhad | Saeedeh | Recurring | TBA |
| Mahsa Nasiri | Esmat | Recurring | TBA |
| Hamidreza Azarang | Lieutenant Mohammadi | Recurring | |
| Hossein Saharkhiz | Masoud Khan | Recurring | |
| Shokrekhoda Goodarzi | Mozaffar | Recurring | |
| Siamak Helmi | Feri | Recurring | |
| Parviz Bashardoost | Enayatollah Khan | Recurring | |
| Mohsen Naghibian | Recurring | ||
| Amirkaveh Ahaninjan | Recurring | ||
| Aman Rahimi | Recurring | ||
| Mahdi Yahestani | Recurring | ||
| Morteza Rostami | Recurring | ||
| Javad Zeytooni | Recurring | ||
| Farhad Mahdavi | Recurring | ||
| Mohammadreza Imanian | Recurring | ||
| Houshang Ghanavatizadeh | Recurring | ||
| Behzad Davari | Recurring | ||
| Pouria Miandehi | Recurring | ||
| Shahab Ashkan | Recurring | ||
| Hootan Shateripour | Recurring | ||
| Amirhossein Shariatmadari | Recurring | ||
| Mohsen Marvi | Recurring | ||
| Elham Nami | Recurring | ||
| Ahmad Lashini | Recurring | ||
Reception
Reviews
Parviz Jahed review from Guardian wrote:
Good story-telling has made it an intriguing and successful melodrama set against the backdrop of an important episode in Iran’s modern history.[11]
Mehdi Ganjavi review from Global Voices Online wrote:
As the story of Shahrzad shows, the political and economic aspirations, desires, and interests of any historical moment entail a revision of what happened in the past. Shahrzad is a love story in the disturbed atmosphere.[12]
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | ||||
| Best Series | Shahrzad | Won | ||
| Best Director | Hassan Fathi | Won | ||
| Best Soundtrack | Mohsen Chavoshi with Sina Sarlak | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor | Shahab Hosseini | Nominated | ||
| Ali Nasirian | Won | |||
| Best Actress | Taraneh Alidoosti | Nominated | ||
| Parinaz Izadyar | Nominated | |||
| Life Achievement | Jamshid Hashempour | Won |
Poll
- Best Series in Iran of all Time with 67% vote - Cmmagazine[14]
Soundtracks
Shahrzad OST
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Shahrzad" | Alireza Ghorbani | 2:50 |
| 2. | "Shahrzad 2" | Alireza Ghorbani | 3:16 |
| 3. | "Bedfellow" | Mohsen Chavoshi | 2:59 |
| 4. | "As A Memorial" | Mohsen Chavoshi | 5:31 |
| 5. | "Where Are You ?" | Mohsen Chavoshi Ft. Sina Sarlak | 3:48 |
| 6. | "Shahrzad" | Mohsen Chavoshi | 4:11 |
| 7. | "The Bridle" | Mohsen Chavoshi Ft. Sina Sarlak | 4:40 |
| 8. | "Moon Forehead" | Mohsen Chavoshi | 3:57 |
| 9. | "Get up" | Sina Sarlak | 4:51 |
| 10. | "Bitter Farewell" | Mohsen Chavoshi | 3:58 |
| 11. | "Insane" | Mohsen Chavoshi | 4:34 |
References
- "Shahrzad comes with a Special".
- correspondent, Saeed Kamali Dehghan Iran (April 19, 2016). "Iran TV series set in 1950s draws big audiences with echoes in politics today" – via www.theguardian.com.
- "10 راز محبوبیت "شهرزاد"". ایسنا. May 2, 2016.
- Details Second Season Shahrzad
- "Shahrzad | TVmaze" – via www.tvmaze.com.
- https://www.vokrug.tv/product/show/15692232131/
- "persian-news.net". ww1.persian-news.net.
- Torfeh, Massoumeh. "New TV series evokes memories of pre-revolution Iran". www.aljazeera.com.
- Cologne rolls out Red carpet for 'Shahrzad'
- "Shahrzad Series Locations".
- Dehghan, Saeed Kamali (April 21, 2016). "Set in 1950s, Shahrzad draws big audiences with echoes in politics today". DAWN.COM.
- "A Lavish Iranian TV Series Revises the History of the 1953 Coup for the Post-Nuclear Deal Age · Global Voices". September 28, 2016.
- "First Kiarostami prize awarded to "Fish and Cat" director". Tehran Times. July 24, 2016.
- "تحلیل ارتباطی و جامعهشناسی موفقیت سریال شهرزاد در ماهنامه مدیریت ارتباطات". همشهری آنلاین. June 29, 2016.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shahrzad. |
- Shahrzad on IMDb
- www.shahrzadseries.com (Pr)
- www.shahrzadseries.com (En)