Director: Mehrdad Farid

Cast: Mitra Hajjar, Shaghayegh Farahani, Hamid Reza Azarang

Davatname is a 2017 Iranian drama film directed by Mehrdad Farid, set in the holy city of Mashhad. The film follows a petty thief who preys on religious pilgrims, only to find that his targets gradually reshape the course of his own life in unexpected ways.

What is Davatname about?

In the streets and shrines of Mashhad, a young man scrapes by through theft, targeting the waves of pilgrims who flood the city seeking spiritual renewal. He moves through their world as an outsider — cynical, invisible, opportunistic. Yet each encounter with these strangers chips away at the distance he has kept between himself and the world around him. As the pilgrims arrive with their faith and burdens intact, the man who sought to take from them begins to find himself unexpectedly drawn into their orbit, confronting questions about belonging, purpose, and what it means to be changed by the place you live in.

Cast & crew

The film stars Mitra Hajjar, a respected figure in Iranian cinema known for her nuanced portrayals of women navigating social pressures; Shaghayegh Farahani, whose screen presence brings emotional credibility to the story; and Hamid Reza Azarang, a versatile performer well established in both dramatic and comedic roles across Iranian film and television. Director Mehrdad Farid guides the ensemble with a restrained hand.

Context & significance

Mashhad — Iran's second-largest city and one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in the Islamic world — provides more than a backdrop here. For diaspora viewers, the city carries layered meaning: it is a place of memory, family visits, and a particular texture of Iranian provincial life that the diaspora often left behind. A film set among its pilgrims and back alleys speaks to themes of faith, alienation, and social margins that resonate far beyond Iran's borders. Davatname belongs to a strand of understated Iranian social realism that examines ordinary lives without sentimentality, a tradition the diaspora has long valued for its honesty.

Where & how to watch

Davatname is available to stream on K-Time in its original Persian audio. Watch on the web, your smart TV, or your phone — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, and no extra download required. Start or cancel anytime.