Director: Jamshid Sheibani
Cast: Rogheyeh Chehreh-Azad, Mohamad Ali Fardin, Zhale Olov
Talaye Sefid is a 1962 Iranian drama-thriller directed by Jamshid Sheibani, set against the shadowy world of Tehran's nightlife, where a cabaret hides criminal dealings and a woman's grief sets a chain of vengeance in motion.
What is Talaye Sefid about?
Etemad runs a cabaret that serves as a front for drug trafficking, a dangerous double life concealed beneath the glitter of nightly performances. Fariba, the cabaret's singer, becomes entangled in violence when her husband is murdered — a killing tied to the criminal underworld festering inside the venue. Her husband's brother Amir, living abroad in America, learns of the tragedy and returns to Tehran determined to uncover the truth behind the killing and hold those responsible to account. As Amir digs deeper, he navigates a world of deceit, loyalty, and danger, where trust is scarce and every lead carries risk.
Cast & crew
The film stars Mohamad Ali Fardin as Amir, one of the most beloved actors of classic Iranian cinema whose charismatic screen presence defined an era of popular filmmaking. Rogheyeh Chehreh-Azad appears as Fariba, bringing emotional gravity to the role of the grieving singer. Zhale Olov rounds out the principal cast in a supporting capacity. The film is directed by Jamshid Sheibani.
Context & significance
Talaye Sefid belongs to a productive period in pre-revolution Iranian commercial cinema when genre filmmaking — crime, romance, and melodrama — flourished for a broad popular audience. Films of this era drew heavily on Hollywood thriller conventions while grounding their stories in recognizably Iranian urban settings: cabarets, back alleys, and the turbulent social currents of mid-century Tehran. For diaspora viewers, these films carry a particular charge: they preserve images of a Tehran that no longer exists, a city caught between modernity and tradition. Watching Mohamad Ali Fardin in his prime is, for many Iranian families, an act of cultural memory as much as entertainment.
Where & how to watch
Talaye Sefid is available on K-Time in its original Persian audio. You can watch on the web browser, a connected TV, or your phone — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, no extra download required. Start a subscription and cancel anytime.