Jahangir Almasi: From Hezardastan and After the Rain to His Recent Financial Struggles

 

Jahangir Almasi is one of the familiar faces of Iranian cinema and television, particularly for audiences who followed Iranian films and television series during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. Over a career spanning several decades, Almasi has worked as an actor, director, writer, critic and cultural figure. He became particularly recognizable through productions such as Hezardastan, Kuchak Jangali, After the Rain, The Scorpion’s Ghost, and Roots in the Blood.

In recent years, however, Jahangir Almasi has attracted renewed public attention for reasons that extend beyond his acting career. Parts of a recent interview with an internet program hosted by Satyar Emami circulated online, in which the veteran actor spoke openly about his financial difficulties. Almasi claimed that his economic circumstances had become so difficult that he sometimes did not have enough money for food and said that he ate only four times a week.

The comments quickly generated discussion about the financial situation of veteran Iranian actors, the changing Iranian entertainment industry, and the challenges faced by artists whose most successful periods occurred decades ago.

At the same time, Almasi has argued that his absence from many contemporary cinema and television productions is connected to what he describes as a “mafia” within the entertainment industry. According to his account, he has not been willing to compromise his beliefs, personality or principles merely to remain professionally active.

His story is therefore more complicated than a conventional celebrity biography. It includes decades of theatrical activity, major television roles, acclaimed films, directing experiences, cultural criticism, political controversy and, most recently, statements about financial hardship.

August 24, 2026 | 5:34 pm