Director: Hossein Ghazanfari
Cast: Payam Dehkordi, Shaghayegh Farahani, Majid Mozafari, Farid Sajadi, maede Tahmasebi
Ham Sayeh (Hamsayeh) is a 2021 Iranian drama and family series directed by Hossein Ghazanfari, broadcast on Channel Three of IRIB. The show centers on Afghan immigrant families living in Tehran, offering a rare and empathetic portrait of a community that rarely takes center stage in Iranian television storytelling.
What is Ham Sayeh about?
Set in the sprawling capital of Tehran, Ham Sayeh follows the lives of Afghan immigrants navigating daily existence in Iran — their struggles for dignity, belonging, and stability in an unfamiliar urban environment. Through the stories of neighboring families, the series weaves together the quiet tensions and unexpected kindnesses that arise when different worlds share a common wall. Across its 35 episodes, each roughly 40 minutes long, the show presents personal dilemmas — economic hardship, cultural friction, questions of identity — with a measured, humane hand. Rather than reducing its subjects to a single viewpoint, the series lets characters breathe, revealing the small acts of resilience and connection that carry ordinary lives forward.
Cast & crew
The series stars Payam Dehkordi and Shaghayegh Farahani in central roles, supported by Majid Mozafari, Farid Sajadi, Maede Tahmasebi, and Mehran Rajabi. Director Hossein Ghazanfari guides a cast known for their work in Iranian television drama, grounding the show's social themes in naturalistic, grounded performances rather than melodrama.
Context & significance
Ham Sayeh arrived at a moment when the presence of Afghan communities in Iran had become one of the most discussed yet least dramatized social realities in the country. For diaspora viewers — many of whom have themselves known displacement, border crossings, and the pressure of being an outsider in a new place — the series carries an unusual resonance. It refuses easy sentimentality and does not resolve the complexities it raises. The show belongs to a tradition of socially conscious Iranian television that treats marginalized communities with curiosity and care, situating everyday drama inside a broader conversation about migration, belonging, and what it means to call a place home. The theme song, with lyrics by Maryam Ghazi and music by Mostafa Ragheb, adds an additional layer of emotional texture that stayed with viewers long after the broadcast.
Where & how to watch
Ham Sayeh is available to stream on K-Time with original Persian audio. Watch on your TV, phone, or browser — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, no extra download required. Start watching with a K-Time subscription and cancel anytime.