Iranian prosecutors have opened a criminal case against a theatre company after footage showed a female actress apparently resting her head against a male co-star during a performance in Tehran. The scene, from the play Tehran Paris Tehran at Tehran’s Book Garden, featured actress Fatemeh Masoudifar, who plays the lead character Sara, alongside Mehrdad Sedighian, who portrays her brother.
Footage shared online appeared to show Masoudifar leaning her head towards Sedighian’s chest while embracing him, with the actor placing his hand over her head. The scene attracted scrutiny because Iran imposes strict rules governing physical contact in public between unrelated men and women.
Prosecutors subsequently opened a case over the performance, which authorities reportedly considered a possible violation of social norms and standards of public decency. Fars News Agency also criticised the scene, describing the controversy as evidence of what it called “the gradual erosion of the boundaries governing artistic freedom and public conduct”. “It seems there is no supervision over theater stages,” the outlet wrote.
The production company disputed the interpretation of the footage, saying the camera angle created a misleading impression about the distance between the two actors. It also stressed that the characters involved in the scene are brother and sister and that the interaction takes place during a “moment of crisis”.
The company maintained that the performance did not violate Islamic regulations and said the actors’ positioning had since been changed to prevent further misunderstanding. Tehran Paris Tehran follows Sara, a young woman who travels from Iran to France and back as she seeks to avenge her father’s murder.
The controversy comes amid continued enforcement of Iran’s social and religious restrictions on public performances. In a separate case, singer Parastoo Ahmadi and seven other people involved in a concert were reportedly sentenced to 74 lashes, a two-year ban on audiovisual and musical activities and a two-year travel ban. An appeals court in Qom reportedly upheld the ruling, finding that the performance violated religious, legal and public morality standards.
Iran’s parliament has also approved the general framework of legislation proposing tougher penalties for certain unauthorised interactions with foreign media, organisations and institutions. The measures form part of longstanding restrictions imposed by Iranian authorities on activities they consider contrary to the country’s religious, cultural or national-security rules.