Director: Fereydoun Jeirani

Cast: Bahram Radan, Mahnaz Afshar, Mehran Ahmadi, Nazanin Salehjou, Nasim Adabi

Ashoftegi is a 2020 Iranian crime-romance film directed by Fereydoun Jeirani, starring Bahram Radan in a dual role as twin brothers whose lifelong rivalry takes a dramatic turn during a fateful road trip to northern Iran.

What is Ashoftegi about?

Bardia and Barbad are identical twins who have lived in each other's shadows since childhood, always at odds. Bardia built a flourishing business empire and enjoys financial stability, while Barbad drifted through life chasing an elusive writing career that never took off. Years separate the brothers before circumstance forces them back together — both are headed north for a contract signing. What begins as an uneasy reunion on the road becomes something far more complicated. Old wounds, buried resentments, and shared secrets surface between them, and the journey that was meant to be purely transactional reshapes both men in ways neither anticipated.

Cast & crew

Bahram Radan carries the film in a demanding dual performance, distinguishing two brothers through physicality and emotional register. Mahnaz Afshar brings depth to her role opposite the twins, while Mehran Ahmadi, Nazanin Salehjou, and Nasim Adabi round out the ensemble. Director Fereydoun Jeirani, a veteran of Iranian commercial cinema, orchestrates the sibling dynamic with a focus on contrasting ambitions.

Context & significance

Films built around twins and doubles have long fascinated Iranian audiences, tapping into themes of identity, fate, and the roads not taken. Ashoftegi frames this familiar premise through a crime-tinged romance lens, a genre blend that resonates with diaspora viewers who grew up watching Iranian melodrama evolve through the 1990s and 2000s. The road-trip structure — heading north to Iran's lush Caspian coast — grounds the story in a recognisably Iranian landscape, offering a sense of place for viewers far from home. Jeirani has worked consistently in popular Iranian cinema, and this production fits within the tradition of character-driven stories that foreground family rivalry and class contrast.

Where & how to watch

Ashoftegi is available on K-Time with original Persian audio. Watch in your browser, on your TV, or on your phone — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, and no extra download required. Subscribe and cancel anytime.