Personal details
- Birth Date: 1967-04-07
- Height: 5′ 9¼″ (1.76 m)
- Birth Location: Tehran, Iran
- Professions: Director, Actor, Writer
Mehran Modiri, honestly, the guy’s a legend when it comes to social satire in Iran. You throw his name out there, pretty much everyone knows who you’re talking about. His shows on IRIB? Absolute juggernauts. We’re talking, like, 85% of the country tuning in when his stuff airs. That’s wild. Not really shocking, though—the man just knows how to connect with people, mixing sharp wit with a knack for digging into everyday life. Back in 2008, Modiri shook things up a bit. He ditched IRIB and started doing his own thing, launching a series called Ghahve-ye Talkh (Bitter Coffee). Instead of TV, he dropped episodes on DVD, week after week. Kind of a bold move, right? And even though another series, Ghalb-e Yakhi, technically beat him to the punch as the first home-entertainment show, Modiri’s series blew past it in sales—like, more than double. That’s the kind of fan loyalty most creators just dream about. Once Ghahve-ye Talkh wrapped up in 2012, Modiri didn’t slow down. He jumped right into Ghalb-e Yakhi’s third season, this time as the lead. The guy wears a lot of hats—actor, director, writer, even recording artist. He’s packed out shows in Tehran, even did a concert for UNICEF. Newsweek called him the 20th most powerful person in Iran back in 2009—the only entertainer to make the list, by the way. Offstage, he’s big into books, classical music, philosophy, art, you name it. He’s divorced, got two kids, and, honestly, you get the sense he’s just always hungry to learn more.
Mehran straight-up broke the mold in Iran—he was the first guy gutsy enough to drop behind-the-scenes clips and bloopers from his shows, way before it was the cool thing to do. The man just couldn’t stand the whole “perfect artist” act. He figured, why not let everyone see the chaos and laughs that go down when the cameras are rolling (and when they’re not)? You catch his vibe: he’s all about honesty, which is honestly pretty rare in the entertainment world over there. By letting fans peek behind the curtain—awkward moments, missed lines, goof-ups and all—he basically reminded everyone that entertainers are just people, flaws and all. And, honestly, it made people love his stuff even more. Fans started feeling like they were in on the joke, not just watching from the outside. That’s Mehran for you, always keeping it real and a little bit messy, which, let’s be honest, is way more interesting than trying to be perfect.
April 7, 1967
5′ 9¼″ (1.76 m)
Konidela Ram Charan
Tehran, Iran
58 years old