Hashtag is a 2019 Iranian comedy film directed by Rahim Behboudi Nia, following two mothers whose sons share a classroom and whose rivalry flares up the moment they discover that neither boy is doing well at school — and that the shortcut to a "gifted" child may be more complicated than either of them anticipated.
What is Hashtag about?
Two women, already quietly competitive with each other, learn that their sons — classmates at the same school — are struggling badly with their grades. Rather than face the problem head-on, each mother becomes fixated on outdoing the other, and the household pressure only grows. Things take a turn when a classmate named Hamidreza brings a proposal to the school principal, Mr. Tavassoli, and the parents become convinced that another boy is the truly gifted one. As appearances, rumours and parental pride start to steer decisions, the boundaries between what is genuinely true about the children and what the adults want to believe begin to blur. Each mother brings hidden pressures and private anxieties to the contest, and keeping up the front demands more honesty than either expected. The story unfolds as a warm, observational comedy that keeps its characters accountable to each other without letting them off easy.
About the cast
The film is directed by Rahim Behboudi Nia and features a cast drawn from Iranian television and cinema. Niusha Zeyghami and Bahareh Rahnama lead the picture, supported by Omid Rohani, Bijan Banafsheh'khah, Hadis Fouladvand, and Sadegh Jamshidi. Each brings familiarity with comic timing rooted in the rhythms of contemporary Iranian family and school life.
Context & significance
Iranian family comedies occupy a distinct space in Persian-language cinema — rooted in social observation, they frequently use the pressures of parenting, reputation and schooling to examine how family expectation and the urge to keep up with the neighbours shape modern urban lives. Hashtag fits this lineage, and its title winks at an age in which a family's public image can take on a life of its own. For diaspora viewers who grew up navigating similar pressures between private reality and public performance — not least around report cards — the film's comedy lands with a layer of recognition that extends well beyond its Iranian setting.
Watching Hashtag on Ktime
Hashtag is available on K-Time in its original Persian audio. Watch on the web, your TV, or your phone — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, and no extra download required. Subscribe and cancel anytime.