Director: Bahadour Asadi
Cast: Ali Ansarian, Behrang Alavi, Nasim Adabi, Roya Mirelmi, Rahim Norouzi
Sarzadeh is a 2020 Iranian crime series directed by Bahadour Asadi, set against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran. The series follows two old friends turned adversaries — a corrupt policeman and a former wrestler with a criminal past — as fate forces them into one final confrontation.
What is Sarzadeh about?
Two men who once shared the bond of Choukhe wrestling now stand on opposite sides of the law. Reza wears a badge but operates in the grey zones of legality, while Aslan has spent years behind bars after Reza orchestrated his arrest. On the nineteenth night of Ramadan, with Iran gripped by the early waves of the pandemic, Aslan walks free and resolves to commit one last act before turning a new page. But circumstances unravel before he can find peace: someone in Reza's circle exposes him, setting the stage for a collision between two men bound by shared history and divided by betrayal. The series weaves faith, loyalty, and consequence into every episode.
Cast & crew
The series stars Ali Ansarian and Behrang Alavi in the central roles of Reza and Aslan, bringing weight to a story built on long-simmering tension. Nasim Adabi, Roya Mirelmi, Rahim Norouzi, Rambod Shekarabi, and Reyhaneh Aboutorabi round out the ensemble, each character pulling the story's moral threads in a different direction.
Context & significance
Iranian crime series have grown increasingly layered over the past decade, moving beyond simple good-versus-evil frameworks to examine systemic corruption, loyalty, and the cost of survival in constrained social spaces. Sarzadeh fits squarely in that tradition, grounding its tension in two distinctly Iranian institutions: the religious gravity of Ramadan and the folk wrestling tradition of Choukhe, a regional sport with deep cultural roots in northwestern Iran. For diaspora viewers, the pandemic setting adds another layer — a familiar crisis rendered through an Iranian lens, where institutional trust and personal morality collide in ways that resonate far beyond geography.
Where & how to watch
Sarzadeh is available on K-Time with original Persian audio. Watch on the web, on your TV, or on your phone — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, and cancel anytime. No extra download required to get started.