Mehran Modiri ( fa, مهران مدیری; born 7 April 1967) is an Iranian director, producer, actor, and singer. He is considered to be the leading artist in social satire in Iran.
His various series, which have been broadcast through
IRIB
The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB; fa, صدا و سيمای جمهوری اسلامی ايران, ''Sedā va Sīmā-ye Jomhūri-ye Eslāmi-ye Īrān'', , formerly called National Iranian Radio and Television until the Iranian Rev ...
have set records in terms of viewership (an estimated 95% viewership when he is on-air), as well as make him a popular personality among the masses. His artistic career began in his teenage years acting in local plays. He then entered the world of radio and television in the early 1990s, actively writing scripts for and participating in various comedy skits during the annual
Norooz comedy television shows broadcast by the
IRIB
The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB; fa, صدا و سيمای جمهوری اسلامی ايران, ''Sedā va Sīmā-ye Jomhūri-ye Eslāmi-ye Īrān'', , formerly called National Iranian Radio and Television until the Iranian Rev ...
.
He achieved real stardom with his creation of ''
Pavarchin'' (''Tiptoeing''), in which he won numerous awards for directing and starring in the picture. He tasted success again when he directed and starred in ''
Noghtechin'' (''Ellipsis''), and ''
Jayezeye Bozorg'' (''The Grand Prize''), which became major hits on television in Iran. Later, he followed ''Pavarchin''s storyline with the making of ''
Shabhaye Barareh'' which became his most popular television program yet; the show remained incomplete after it was criticized for offending rural people. This resulted in an abrupt end to the show after 92 episodes without completely explaining the
Barareh history. He starred in two full-length films and had planned on entering the film industry once again after ''Shabhaye Barareh'' was completed. However, he instead produced and released his next project, the television series ''
Baghe Mozaffar
''Mozaffar's Garden'' ( fa, باغ مظفر) is a 2006 Iranian satire television series. It was directed by Mehran Modiri, who also narrates and stars as the title character. It ran from 1 September to 15 October 2006, with reruns continuing thro ...
''.
One of his most popular tv series was
The man with a thousand faces
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
, broadcast in 2008.
Also, his shows have been popular among the Iranians because of expressing the problems of the society in the form of comedy, as he believes this genre has the most effectiveness on people.
Modiri has also released a music album and performed in a number of concerts. He is also a veteran of the
Iran–Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Counci ...
.
In 2009 Modiri was named by ''
Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...
'' as one of the 20 people who dominate power and public discourse in Iran.
Between 2015–2018 Modiri was mostly seen on Nasim TV with his program ''
Dorehami
Dorehami ( fa, دورهمی) (lit. ''(friendly) get-together'' in Persian) is an Iranian Telecast currently directed by Mehran Modiri. It aired on cable network IRIB Nasim on Thursdays at 21:00 and Fridays and Saturdays at 23:00 (IST) from March ...
''.
In order to support the
death of Mehsa Amini and the
nationwide protests, Mehran Modiri announced by publishing a video on his
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
that none of the
Iranian television channels have the right to publish his image in television advertisements and periodicals. A few days after these events, the
Iranian government
The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran ( fa, نظام جمهوری اسلامی ایران, Neẓām-e jomhūrī-e eslāmi-e Irān, known simply as ''Neẓām'' ( fa, نظام, lit=the system) among its supporters) is the ruling state a ...
announced that Mehran Modiri has been banned from leaving the country, however, Iranian news agencies have announced that Mehran has left Iran. An Iranian Twitter user announced that Mehran had left
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the Capital city, capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is th ...
for the
UAE, but his final destination was not
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics ...
.
Personal life
Mehran Modiri is the last child of a family originally from the city of
Arak. He has three elder brothers.
Modiri was born and raised in a low-income family in the south of Tehran, Iran. He worked in many physical and low-paying jobs as a child and teenager, including carpenter, porter, welder, mechanic, and baker.
Filmography
Mehran Modiri has acted in various TV series. Most of the popularity and fame he has garnered among the people of Iran emanates from his participation in these programs.
TV series
Home Video
Film
Theater
Discography
;Albums
* 1999: ''Deltangi-ha'' – Declamation of Hatef Alimardani 's Poems.
* 2000: ''Az Roo-ye Sadegi'' – composed by: ''Babak Bayat'' and ''Fardin Khalatbari''
;Singles
* 2003: ''Ahang-e Film-e Hamnafas'' – composed by: ''Fardin Khalatbari''
* 2004: ''Ahang-e film-e Shabhaye barareh''
* 2005: ''Ahang-e film-e Baghe mozaffar''
* 2010: ''Ahang-e serial-e Ghahveye Talkh'' – two tracks, produced by ''Bahram Dehghanyar''
* 2010: ''Bia Berim Kooh'' – produced by ''Darkoob Band'' in ''Darkoob Album''
* 2010: ''Heyran'' – produced by ''Darkoob Band'' in ''Darkoob Album''
* 2016: ''Ahang-e Titraje Dorehami'' – composed by ''Mahyar Alizadeh''
* 2016: ''Ahang-e serial-e Zaaferani'' – Two tracks, composed by ''Mahyar Alizadeh''
* 2017: ''Ahang-e Yar Toei'' – composed by ''Mahyar Alizadeh''
Awards and nominations
Mehran Modiri with 7 awards holds the record for most Hafez Awards won by an individual until 2018
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Modiri, Mehran
1967 births
Living people
Iranian comedians
People from Tehran
Iranian male singers
Musicians from Tehran
Iranian film directors
Iranian male film actors
Iranian male stage actors
Iranian stand-up comedians
Iranian television directors
Iranian male television actors
Iranian television talk show hosts
Iranian radio and television presenters
Islamic Republic of Iran Army soldiers of the Iran–Iraq War