Shahrzad (TV series)

Iranian TV Series

Shahrzad

Persian| شهرزاد
Genre|

* Drama
* Romance
* Historical
* Crime
* Mystery

Written by|

* Hassan Fathi
* Naghmeh Samini

Directed by| Parsa Ali
Starring|

* Shahab Hosseini
* Taraneh Alidoosti
* Ali Nasirian
* Mostafa Zamani
* Parinaz Izadyar
* Mehdi Soltani
* Mahmoud Pak Niat
* Abolfazl Poorarab
* Jamshid Hashempour
* Ghazal Shakeri
* Hooman Barghnavard
* Reza Kianian
* Roya Nonahali
* Ateneh Faghih Nasiri
* Amir Jafari
* Amirhossein Fathi

Theme music composer| Mohsen Chavoshi
Composer| Amir Tavassoly
Country of origin| Iran
Original language| Persian
No. of seasons| 3
No. of episodes| 59
Production
Producer| Mohammad Emami
Production locations|

* Tehran
* Isfahan

Cinematography| Nooshin Jafari
Editor| Mahdi Hoseinivand
Running time| 60 minutes
Original release
Network| Home video
Release| 12 October 2015 (2015-10-12) –
11 June 2018 (2018-06-11)

Shahrzad (Persian: شهرزاد, romanized: Shahrzād) is an Iranian romantic and historical drama series written by Hassan Fathi and Naghmeh Samini, produced by Mohammad Emami and directed by Hassan Fathi[1] The storyline is set around and after the 1953 Iranian coup d'état.[2][3] The 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][failed verification] and Russian.[6] It stars Ali Nassirian, Taraneh Alidoosti, Shahab Hosseini, Mostafa Zamani and Parinaz Izadyar.

In the first few episodes, the singer of the series was Alireza Ghorbani. Then Mohsen Chavoshi and Sina Sarlak replaced him. In the last two episodes, Amin Bani and Farnaz Maleki were added to the series' singers.

## Storyline

[edit]

Iranian businessman 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]

## Cast

[edit]

= Main cast (credited)
= Recurring cast (3+)
= Guest cast (1-2)
Actor  | Character  | Seasons

|
|

1 | 2 | 3
Taraneh Alidoosti | Shahrzad Saadat  | Main
Shahab Hosseini | Ghobad Divansalar  | Main
Mostafa Zamani | Farhad Damavandi  | Main
Parinaz Izadyar | Shirin Divansalar  | Main
Ali Nassirian | Bozorg Agha Divansalar  | Main  | Does not appear
Mehdi Soltani | Hashem Damavandi  | Main  | Recurring
Fariba Motekhasses  | Marzieh  | Main
Soheyla Razavi  | Parvin  | Main
Mahmoud Pakniat | Jamshid Saadat  | Main  | Does not appear
Gelareh Abbasi  | Akram Bourbouran  | Main
Houman Barghnavard | Colonel Teymouri  | Main  | Recurring
Pantea Panahiha | Sharbat  | Main  | Recurring
Parviz Fallahipour  | Nosrat Pashaei  | Recurring  | Main
Amirhossein Fathi  | Homayoun Mohtadi/Saber Abdolli  | Recurring  | Main
Ghazal Shakeri | Azar Goldarrei  | Main  | Does not appear
Abolfazl Pourarab  | Heshmat Pashaei  | Main  | Does not appear
Amirhossein Rostami  | Babak Yeganeh  | Main  | Does not appear
Mina Vahid | Maryam Mehrzad  | Main  | Does not appear
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  | Does not appear
Roya Nonahali | Belgheys Divansalar  | Does not appear | Main  | Guest
Reza Kianian | Shapour Behboudi  | Does not appear | Main
Amir Jafari | Captain Aparviz  | Does not appear | Main
Ateneh Faghih Nasiri | Soraya  | Does not appear | Recurring
Jamshid Gorgin  | Shahram Behboudi  | Recurring  | Does not appear
Manouchehr Zendehdel  | Colonel Soheili  | Recurring  | Does not appear
Hadi Ghomeyshi  | Mr. Shirvani  | Recurring  | Does not appear
Banipal Shoomoon  | Esfandiari  | Recurring  | Does not appear
Saghi Zinati  | Malmal Taherkhanlou  | Recurring  | Does not appear
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
Parisa Sabournezhad  | Saeedeh  | Recurring  | Does not appear
Mahsa Nasiri  | Esmat  | Recurring  | Does not appear
Hamid Reza Azarang | Lieutenant Mohammadi  | Guest | Does not appear
Hossein Saharkhiz  | Masoud Khan  | Does not appear | Recurring
Shokrekhoda Goodarzi  | Mozaffar  | Does not appear | Recurring
Siamak Helmi  | Feri  | Does not appear | Recurring
Parviz Bashardoost  | Enayatollah Khan  | Does not appear | Recurring
Mohsen Naghibian  |  | Does not appear | Recurring
Amirkaveh Ahaninjan  |  | Does not appear | Recurring
Aman Rahimi  |  | Does not appear | Recurring
Mahdi Yahestani  |  | Does not appear | Recurring
Morteza Rostami  |  | Does not appear | Recurring
Javad Zeytooni  |  | Does not appear | Recurring
Farhad Mahdavi  |  | Does not appear | Recurring
Mohammadreza Imanian  |  | Does not appear | Recurring
Houshang Ghanavatizadeh  |  | Does not appear | Recurring
Behzad Davari  |  | Does not appear | Recurring
Pouria Miandehi  |  | Does not appear | Recurring
Shahab Ashkan  |  | Does not appear | Recurring
Hootan Shateripour  |  | Does not appear | Recurring
Amirhossein Shariatmadari  |  | Does not appear | Recurring
Mohsen Marvi  |  | Does not appear | Recurring
Elham Nami  |  | Does not appear | Recurring
Ahmad Lashini  |  | Does not appear | Recurring

## Production

[edit]

The cast of the 59-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

[edit]

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.

## Distribution

[edit]

Its first season was broadcast in 2014. The broadcast of the second season started on Monday, June 19, 2017 and ended on October 17, 2017. The broadcast of the third season also began from January 31, 2018 and ended on June 21, 2018. The series was broadcast weekly on Mondays.

## Reception

[edit]

### Reviews

[edit]

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]

Mahdi 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

[edit]

This series has had a total of 12 nominations and 7 wins from Hafez Awards and has had 6 nominations and 2 wins from the Yas International Film Festival.

Season 1

Year  | Award  | Category  | Recipient  | Result

|
|
|
|

2016  |

16th Hafez Awards[13]

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

* Also won the Best Director and Best Screenplay category at the fourth Yas International Film Festival.

Season 2 & 3[14]

Was appreciated the most with three awards from Hafez Awards:

* The best drama actor award went to Mehdi Soltani
* The best drama actress to Roya Nonahali
* Best director award to Hassan Fathi.

And eight nominations, including:

* Best Actress for Taraneh Alidosti, Prinaz Izdiar and Galareh Abbasi
* Best Actor for Mostafa Zamani, Shahab Hosseini and Amir Hossein Fathi

### Poll

[edit]

* Best Series in Iran of all Time with 67% vote - Cmmagazine[15]

### Celebration and Appreciation

[edit]

Celebration and appreciation ceremony of the actors of Shahrzad series was held last night, Sunday, May 16, in the presence of the agents of this series and other cinema artists in the conference hall of Milad Tower in Tehran.[16]

## Soundtracks

[edit]

### Shahrzad OST

[edit]

Track listingNo.| Title| Artist| Length

|
|
|

1.| "Shahrzad"| Alireza Ghorbani| 2:50
2.| "Shahrzad 2"| Alireza Ghorbani| 3:16
3.| "Hamkhaab"| Mohsen Chavoshi| 2:59
4.| "Be Rasme Yadegar"| Mohsen Chavoshi| 5:31
5.| "Kojaei?"| Mohsen Chavoshi Ft. Sina Sarlak| 3:48
6.| "Shahrzad"| Mohsen Chavoshi| 4:11
7.| "Afsar"| Mohsen Chavoshi Ft. Sina Sarlak| 4:40
8.| "Mah Pishooni"| Mohsen Chavoshi| 3:57
9.| "Barkhiz"| Sina Sarlak| 4:51
10.| "Khodahafezie Talkh"| Mohsen Chavoshi| 3:58
11.| "Divooneh"| Mohsen Chavoshi|
12.| "Fandak Tab dar"| Mohsen Chavoshi Ft. Sina Sarlak| 3:37
13.| "Ey Darigha"| Mohsen Chavoshi Ft. Sina Sarlak| 4:27
14.| "Havam Dobare pase"| Mohsen Chavoshi| 4:25
15.| "Tanha Omide Zendegi"| Sina Sarlak| 4:05
16.| "Kash Nadide Boodamet"| Mohsen Chavoshi| 5:04
17.| "Jome"| Mohsen Chavoshi| 4:36
18.| "Del Ey Del"| Mohsen Chavoshi Ft. Sina Sarlak| 5:33
19.| "Che Kardi"| Amin Bani Ft. Farnaz Maleki| 4:17
20.| "Nashod"| Amin Bani Ft. Farnaz Maleki| 4:58

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Shahrzad comes with a Special". 23 September 2015.
2. ^ 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. `{{cite web}}`: `|last=` has generic name (help)
3. ^ "10 راز محبوبیت "شهرزاد"". ایسنا. May 2, 2016.
4. ^ Details Second Season Shahrzad
5. ^ "Shahrzad | TVmaze" – via www.tvmaze.com.
6. ^ "Сериал Шахерезада: фото, видео, описание серий - Вокруг ТВ".
7. ^ "persian-news.net". ww1.persian-news.net.
8. ^ Torfeh, Massoumeh. "New TV series evokes memories of pre-revolution Iran". www.aljazeera.com.
9. ^ Cologne rolls out Red carpet for 'Shahrzad'
10. ^ "Shahrzad Series Locations".
11. ^ Dehghan, Saeed Kamali (April 21, 2016). "Set in 1950s, Shahrzad draws big audiences with echoes in politics today". DAWN.COM.
12. ^ "A Lavish Iranian TV Series Revises the History of the 1953 Coup for the Post-Nuclear Deal Age · Global Voices". September 28, 2016.
13. ^ "First Kiarostami prize awarded to "Fish and Cat" director". Tehran Times. July 24, 2016.
14. ^ "Best in Film and Television Awarded". Financial Tribune. 2018-08-14. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
15. ^ "تحلیل ارتباطی و جامعه‌شناسی موفقیت سریال شهرزاد در ماهنامه مدیریت ارتباطات". همشهری آنلاین. June 29, 2016.
16. ^ "جشن پایان سریال شهرزاد- عکس خبری تسنیم - Tasnim". خبرگزاری تسنیم - Tasnim (in Persian). Retrieved 2020-11-22.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shahrzad.

Wikiquote has quotations related to Shahrzad (TV series).

* Shahrzad at IMDb
* www.shahrzadseries.com (Pr)
* www.shahrzadseries.com (En)
* Shahrzad on Instagram

Portals:

* Television
* Iran

*[No.]: Number