Director: Mahmoud Kushan

Cast: Naser Malek Motiee, Shoorangiz Tabatabai, Morteza Aghili, Hamide Kheyrabadi, Roksana

Oosta Karim Nokaretim is a 1974 Iranian crime-adventure film directed by Mahmoud Kushan, starring Naser Malek Motiee as a working-class transport businessman navigating love, loyalty, and betrayal in the Tehran cabaret world of pre-revolution Iran.

What is Oosta karim nokaretim about?

Mehdi and his companion Ali return home after a long journey abroad, and their friends celebrate by taking them to a local cabaret. There, Mehdi crosses paths with Nazi, a dancer, rescuing her from a group of aggressive young men. The two grow close despite the firm opposition of Mehdi's mother, and he proposes marriage. Their happiness is threatened by Sohrab, the cabaret owner, who refuses to let Nazi go and continues to interfere in her life. When Mehdi travels to Isfahan on business, he leaves Nazi unprotected — and Sohrab seizes the opportunity. Meanwhile, Mehdi remains unaware that Nazi has a young daughter, Nahid, cared for by her aunt, and the secret of the child's existence begins to cast a shadow over their relationship.

Cast & crew

Naser Malek Motiee, one of pre-revolution Iranian cinema's most beloved leading men, brings his trademark warmth and physicality to the role of Mehdi. Shoorangiz Tabatabai plays Nazi with emotional depth, while Morteza Aghili and Manouchehr Hamedi round out the cast. Mahmoud Kushan directs with the genre confidence he brought to classic popular Persian cinema of the 1970s.

Context & significance

Films like Oosta Karim Nokaretim represent a distinct strand of popular Iranian cinema from the 1970s — sometimes called Film Farsi — which blended urban melodrama, action, and social class tensions against the backdrop of cabarets, transport yards, and Tehran's working-class neighborhoods. These films spoke directly to ordinary viewers who rarely saw themselves in arthouse or state-sanctioned productions. For diaspora audiences who grew up watching these classics or inherited them from their parents, revisiting them is both a cultural memory and a window into a Tehran that no longer exists. The film's themes of loyalty, jealousy, and the social stigma attached to women in entertainment carry a resonance that transcends the era.

Where & how to watch

Oosta Karim Nokaretim is available to stream on K-Time with original Persian audio. Watch on your web browser, TV, or mobile phone — no VPN required, no geo-blocking, and no extra download needed. K-Time subscriptions can be cancelled anytime.