Director: Letif Safarov
Cast: Nodar Shashigoglu, Kima Mammadova, Gündüz Abbasov
Majnoun Va Leyli is an Iranian drama and romance film directed by Letif Safarov, retelling the legendary Persian love story of Majnoun and Leyli — one of the most enduring poetic narratives in classical Persian and Azerbaijani literature, brought to the screen with historical sweep and emotional depth.
What is Majnoun Va Leyli about?
The story follows the ill-fated love between Qays, a young man so consumed by his passion for Leyli that he loses his reason and earns the name Majnoun — the love-maddened — and Leyli herself, a woman whose heart is equally devoted yet separated from him by family, custom, and circumstance. As their longing grows, so does the distance between them: social barriers erected by Leyli's kin deny them any future together, forcing both to endure a love that burns without the possibility of fulfillment. The film traces this ancient heartbreak with restraint, letting the characters' anguish speak through gesture and silence rather than melodrama.
Cast & crew
The film features Nodar Shashigoglu, Kima Mammadova, and Gündüz Abbasov in its lead roles, bringing the classical figures of Majnoun and Leyli to life with performances rooted in the tradition of Persian and Azerbaijani screen acting. Director Letif Safarov guides the ensemble through material that demands equal parts restraint and passionate conviction.
Context & significance
The legend of Majnoun and Leyli predates cinema by many centuries, originating in Arabic oral tradition and reaching its most celebrated Persian form through the twelfth-century poet Nizami Ganjavi. For Iranian and Azerbaijani audiences, the story carries the same cultural gravity that Romeo and Juliet holds in the West — but with deeper roots in Sufi spiritual metaphor, where Majnoun's earthly obsession mirrors the soul's yearning for the divine. Films adapting this legend speak directly to diaspora viewers who grew up hearing these verses recited at family gatherings, and this production brings that shared literary inheritance into a visual medium accessible to a new generation.
Where & how to watch
Majnoun Va Leyli is available on K-Time with Persian dubbing included. Stream it on the web, on your TV, or on your phone — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, no extra download required. Cancel anytime.