The Iranian TV series “Shahrzad,” which has gripped the attention of Iranians since it was first broadcast two years ago, has been high in drama. But real-life intrigues and allegations of corruption that dog the series, whose second season launched June 19, is just as exciting.
With an estimated cost of about 120 billion rials ($3.7 million), "Shahrzad" is viewed as one of the “largest and most expensive” in the history of Iran’s private cinema and television. The historical and romantic drama series takes place in the wake of the 1953 coup d'etat, when Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh was overthrown, and focuses on a family saga that becomes even more complicated with power struggles, corruption, jealousy and mafia links. Directed by Hassan Fathi, it features Taraneh Alidoosti in the title role and Shahab Hosseini as the man who loves her. The role of corrupt bureaucrat Bozorg Agha, the head of a powerful mafia syndicate that had a strong role in the 1953 coup, is played by Ali Nassirian.
