Director: Nasser Taghvai

Cast: Saeed Rad, Ezzatolah Entezami, Mohammadali Keshavarz, Jalal Pishvaian, Ezzatollah Ramazanifar

Sadegh Kordeh is a 1972 Iranian drama-crime film directed by Nasser Taghvai, set against the dusty highways of Khuzestan province. Blending social realism with a tense revenge premise, it stands as one of the defining works of Iranian New Wave cinema from the era before the revolution.

What is Sadegh Kordeh about?

Sadegh and his wife run a modest roadside tea house along the route connecting Ahvaz to Andimeshk in southern Iran. One night, while Sadegh is away, a truck driver he knows arrives at the establishment — and by morning, his wife is dead. The police open an investigation, but Sadegh cannot wait for justice to move at the law's pace. Consumed by grief and a need to answer violence with his own hands, he begins targeting the highway drivers who frequent that stretch of road. What unfolds is a portrait of a man caught between personal anguish and the codes of the society around him, with the authorities closing in as his actions spiral beyond his control.

Cast & crew

Director Nasser Taghvai was among the foremost voices of Iranian New Wave cinema, known for his unflinching social observations. Lead actor Saeed Rad brings a grounded, coiled intensity to Sadegh. Veteran screen presence Ezzatolah Entezami — one of Iranian cinema's most celebrated character performers — and Mohammadali Keshavarz and Jalal Pishvaian round out a cast of formidable stage and screen experience.

Context & significance

Released in 1972, Sadegh Kordeh arrived during a period of rich creative ferment in Iranian cinema, when filmmakers were pushing against commercial conventions to tell stories rooted in working-class Iranian life. The Khuzestan highway setting — oil country, truck routes, tea houses — is not mere backdrop; it roots the story in a social landscape that diaspora viewers will recognize as distinctly Iranian. For Persian-speaking audiences abroad, this film represents a window into pre-revolution Iran that studio productions rarely captured: the rhythms of provincial life, the codes of honor and shame, and the grinding tension between personal justice and institutional law. It remains a significant reference point for anyone exploring the history of serious Iranian cinema.

Where & how to watch

Sadegh Kordeh is available to stream on K-Time in its original Persian-language audio. Watch on your TV, computer, or phone — no VPN required, no geo-blocking, no extra download. Subscribe and cancel anytime.