Is Sounami based on a true story?

Yes, the film is based on the real story of Iranian taekwondo athlete Morteza Nezhadi, who was reportedly pressured to lose his 2002 Olympic match for political reasons, an event that defined and derailed his career.

Chetori mitoonam Sounami ro online tamasha konam?

You can stream Sounami directly on K-Time — no extra download, no VPN required. Sign in on the web, your TV, or phone and it plays instantly. Membership can be cancelled anytime.

What genre is Sounami — action or drama?

Sounami is primarily a drama. While it centres on a taekwondo athlete, its focus is on the emotional and personal consequences of political coercion rather than on action or competitive sport sequences.

Bazigara asli Sounami ke hastand?

The lead is Bahram Radan, supported by Mehrdad Sedighian, Ra'na Azadivar, Fereshteh Hosseini, and Ali Reza Shoja'noori. The film is directed by Milad Sadrameli.

Sounami

Name: Sounami
Genre: Drama
Released: 2020
Duration: 200 min
Cast: Bahram Radan, Mehrdad Sedighian, Ra'na Azadivar, Fereshteh Hosseini, Ali Reza Shoja'noori

Director: Milad Sadrameli

Cast: Bahram Radan, Mehrdad Sedighian, Ra'na Azadivar, Fereshteh Hosseini, Ali Reza Shoja'noori

Sounami is a 2020 Iranian drama film directed by Milad Sadrameli, running approximately 200 minutes and starring Bahram Radan in the lead role. It tells the true-based story of a champion taekwondo athlete who is pressured into throwing his Olympic match and faces the devastating personal fallout that follows.

What is Sounami about?

Morteza Nezhadi arrives at the 2002 Olympics as one of Iran's most decorated taekwondo fighters, carrying the hopes of a nation. Behind closed doors, political forces compel him to accept a pre-arranged defeat rather than compete on merit. The moment he steps off the mat, the scaffolding of his life begins to collapse — his sporting career is finished, his relationships fracture, and his sense of identity is stripped away. The film follows his long, painful attempt to reckon with a choice that was never truly his to make, and to find a reason to continue when everything he built has been taken from him.

Cast & crew

Bahram Radan, one of Iranian cinema's most versatile leading men, carries the emotional weight of the film across its extended runtime. Mehrdad Sedighian and Ra'na Azadivar anchor the supporting relationships that give Morteza's collapse its human texture. Fereshteh Hosseini and Ali Reza Shoja'noori round out an ensemble that director Milad Sadrameli clearly trusted with understated, physically grounded performances.

Context & significance

Stories about the intersection of sport and political interference have long resonated with Iranian audiences who understand firsthand how athletes can become pawns of state power. Sounami draws on a real-world episode in Iranian taekwondo history, making it particularly charged for diaspora viewers who left a country where individual achievement can be subordinated to political calculation. The film belongs to a tradition of Iranian social drama that refuses easy redemption arcs — it asks viewers to sit with loss rather than wrap it in a tidy resolution. For Persian-speaking communities abroad, the story functions as a mirror of broader questions about personal dignity, national loyalty, and what happens when institutions betray their own people.

Where & how to watch

Sounami is available on K-Time in its original Persian audio. No VPN is needed — K-Time streams directly with no geo-blocking. You can watch on the web browser, your TV, or your phone, and cancel your membership anytime.