Director: Mohammad Ali Bashe Ahangar
Cast: Asghar Hemmat, Reza Davoudnejad, Andisheh Fooladvand, Morteza Esmaeil Kashi, Sam Kaboudvand
Bad Az Azadi is a 2021 Iranian family drama series directed by Mohammad Ali Bashe Ahangar, exploring the harsh realities a man faces after his release from prison — economic hardship, fractured family bonds, and the painful search for a place in society.
What is Bad Az Azadi about?
The story follows a man who walks out of prison after a long sentence, only to confront a world that has moved on without him. Back home, the absence of his parents weighs heavily on everyone under the same roof. Economic pressures mount quickly: finding stable work proves far harder than he imagined, and the gaps left by years away cannot simply be filled by good intentions. The series traces his daily struggles — the early mornings, the cold, the travel to distant provinces in search of something better — painting an unflinching portrait of life on the margins of Iranian society, where small dignities must be fought for one day at a time.
Cast & crew
The series marks the third directorial outing for Mohammad Ali Bashe Ahangar, who previously helmed the series Until Morning. The cast includes Asghar Hemmat and Reza Davoudnejad as central figures carrying the drama's emotional weight, supported by Andisheh Fooladvand, Morteza Esmaeil Kashi, Sam Kaboudvand, Elmira Dehghani, and Roya Javidnia in key roles.
Context & significance
Iranian television drama has long used the family unit as a lens for examining wider social pressures, and Bad Az Azadi fits squarely within that tradition. Its focus on post-incarceration reintegration — economic exclusion, housing instability, and the quiet rupture of relationships — speaks directly to experiences many Iranian families know but rarely see dramatized on screen. For diaspora viewers, the series offers an honest window into the texture of everyday life in Iran, from the cold highlands of provinces like Hamedan and Kurdistan to the grinding routine of a household trying to stay whole. This is the kind of social drama that resonates precisely because it refuses easy resolution.
Where & how to watch
Bad Az Azadi is available on K-Time with Persian audio. You can watch on a web browser, on your TV, or on your phone — no VPN needed and no geo-blocking. Subscribe and cancel anytime.