Director: Iraj Ghaderi
Cast: Behrouz Vossoughi, Naser Malek Motiee, Simin Ghaffari, Parvin Solaymani
Bot is a 1976 Iranian drama-thriller directed by Iraj Ghaderi, starring Behrouz Vossoughi and Naser Malek Motiee. Set against a backdrop of crime and pursuit, it follows two men on the run whose path crosses with an unexpected act of humanity, raising questions about loyalty, conscience, and the cost of the choices we make.
What is Bot about?
Sadegh and Naeem are two small-time couriers caught up in a smuggling operation who find themselves fleeing the authorities after a delivery goes wrong. As they try to disappear into the margins of society, they cross paths with a desperate young woman trying to get her gravely ill father to a doctor. Reluctant to get involved and risk exposure, the two men are forced to weigh their own survival against a stranger's urgent need. The film builds its tension not through action set pieces but through the friction between self-interest and moral impulse, drawing the audience into the uncomfortable space between complicity and compassion.
Cast & crew
Behrouz Vossoughi, one of pre-revolutionary Iranian cinema's most enduring leading men, anchors the film with a performance that balances hardness and ambivalence. Naser Malek Motiee brings his trademark everyman quality to the role of Naeem. Simin Ghaffari and Parvin Solaymani round out the ensemble, grounding the film's human stakes.
Context & significance
Released in 1976, Bot belongs to the final chapter of pre-revolutionary Iranian popular cinema — a period when genre filmmaking in Iran was reaching commercial maturity. Thrillers and crime dramas of this era, often called Film Farsi by critics, were crowd-pleasing entertainments that nonetheless carried undercurrents of social tension. For diaspora viewers, titles like Bot carry the weight of a vanished world — a visual record of Tehran streets, social customs, and a filmmaking culture that was dramatically transformed after 1979. Watching films of this period is an act of cultural memory as much as entertainment.
Where & how to watch
Bot is available on K-Time with original Persian audio. Watch on your browser, TV, or phone — no VPN needed and no geo-blocking. A K-Time subscription gives you access to the full catalog; cancel anytime.