Director: Hamid Nematollah
Cast: Bahram Radan, Leila Hatami, Nader Fallah
Bi Pooli is a 2009 Iranian comedy-drama film directed by Hamid Nematollah, starring Bahram Radan and Leila Hatami. It follows a proud fashion designer whose sudden unemployment forces him to confront class, ego, and the gap between the life he projects and the reality beneath it.
What is Bi Pooli about?
Iraj is a confident, well-dressed fashion designer who has built his identity around professional success and social standing. Shortly after his marriage, his position at the firm collapses when the owner's son returns to Tehran to take control of the family business — and Iraj is shown the door. Too proud to admit what has happened, Iraj keeps up appearances at home and with friends, scrambling to conceal the truth while searching for a way back. As his savings shrink and his options narrow, the daily performances become harder to maintain, and the distance between who he says he is and who he actually is begins to crack everything around him.
Cast & crew
Bahram Radan, one of Iranian cinema's most recognizable leading men, brings a careful balance of vanity and vulnerability to Iraj. Leila Hatami, celebrated across decades of Iranian film, grounds the story as his wife. Nader Fallah rounds out the central cast. Director Hamid Nematollah shapes the material with a feel for social comedy rooted in everyday Tehran life.
Context & significance
Bi Pooli sits within a rich tradition of Iranian social comedies that use class anxiety and male pride as comic fuel — titles that land somewhere between laughter and discomfort. For diaspora viewers, the film captures a recognizable Tehran middle-class world: the pressure to look successful, the weight of face-saving, and the domestic strain that secrecy creates. It speaks to universal experiences of financial shame dressed in distinctly Iranian social codes, making it both an accessible and culturally specific watch for Persian-speaking audiences abroad.
Where & how to watch
Bi Pooli is available on K-Time with original Persian audio. Watch on the web, your TV, or your phone — no extra download, no VPN, no geo-blocking. Cancel anytime.