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Feature Film: Gholamreza Takhti

The story of the film "Gholamreza Takhti" begins with the reading and signing of his will and his suicide. Then, through flashbacks, it depicts his childhood spent in extreme poverty in Aloungah Khanabad, south of Tehran. His father, Rajab Khan, had an old refrigerator that was confiscated during the railroad expansion project, which further intensified their poverty and drove his father to madness. Gholamreza, who had a passion for wrestling, initially fails to become a wrestler in his adolescence but starts practicing alone while working at the oil facilities in Masjed Soleiman. Eventually, he leaves his laborer job in the oil fields, returns to Tehran to be with his family, and discovers his talent under the coaching of Haji Ali, also known as Poulad Abdul Hassan, at the Poulad Gymnasium. Gholamreza quickly becomes a member of the Iranian national wrestling team and wins a silver medal at the 1951 Helsinki Wrestling Championships and a gold medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

Takhti's success in sports, along with his generosity and spirit of helping the poor, brings him widespread popularity among the people. However, he faces personal and family issues alongside his sporting achievements. The envy of his teammates arises due to Takhti's success in the sports field, and his popularity among the people creates sensitivity within the government, especially because of his inclination towards the national front and Prime Minister Mosaddegh. The dual struggles of sports envy and political interference, combined with several setbacks toward the end of his athletic career, leave Takhti frustrated and weary. His marriage on November 3, 1966, not only fails to change his situation but exacerbates it due to differences between him and his wife. The birth of his son, Babak, in September 1967 also has no significant impact on his situation. Ultimately, Gholamreza Takhti, the world champion wrestler, commits suicide on January 7, 1968, two days after finalizing his will, by taking medication in Room 23 of the Atlantic Hotel in Tehran.

Gholamreza Takhti (2019)

Film Information

  • Original Title: غلامرضا تختی

  • English Title: Gholamreza Takhti

  • Production Year: 2018 (1397)

  • Release Year: 2019

  • Country of Origin: Iran

  • Original Language: Persian (Farsi)

  • Genre: Biography, Drama, Sport

  • Runtime: 105 minutes

  • Director: Bahram Tavakoli

  • Writers: Bahram Tavakoli, Saeed Malekan

  • Producers: Saeed Malekan, Roozbeh Aghaeipour

  • Production Company: Farabi Cinema Foundation

  • Distributor: Simaye Mehr

  • Premiere: 37th Fajr Film Festival (2019)

  • Theatrical Release Date: March 16, 2019

Cast

  • Alireza Goodarzi

  • Mohsen Takhti

  • Mahoor Alvand

  • Behnoush Tabatabaei

  • Attila Pesyani

  • Farhad Aeesh

  • Hamidreza Azarang

  • Parivash Nazarieh

  • Shirin Yazdanbakhsh

  • Siavash Tahmoures

  • Setareh Pesyani

  • Mojtaba Pirzadeh

  • Banipal Shoomoon

  • Masoumeh Ghasempour

  • Morteza Rostami

Crew

  • Director of Photography: Hamid Khozouei Abyaneh

  • Film Editor: Meysam Molaei

  • Original Music Composer: Afshin Azizi

  • Production Designer: Keyvan Moghaddam

  • Costume Designer: Amir Malekpour

  • Makeup Designer: Saeed Malekan

  • Production Sound Mixer: Rashid Daneshmand

  • Sound Designer and Re-recording Mixer: Amirhossein Ghasemi

  • Special Effects Supervisor (Practical Effects): Mohsen Roozbahani

  • Visual Effects Supervisors: Mohsen Kheirabadi, Reza Misaghi, Hadi Eslami & Ali Sajadi

  • Colorist: Hootan Haghshenas

  • Production Manager: Kioumars Abbasi

Awards and Nominations

37th Fajr Film Festival (2019)

  • Winner – Crystal Simorgh for Best Cinematography: Hamid Khozouei Abyaneh

  • Winner – Crystal Simorgh for Best Production Design: Keyvan Moghaddam

  • Nominee – Best Film

  • Nominee – Best Director: Bahram Tavakoli

  • Nominee – Best Editing: Meysam Molaei

  • Nominee – Best Original Score: Afshin Azizi

  • Nominee – Best Visual Effects

  • Winner – Best Technical Achievement Award, Iranian Film Critics and Writers Association Awards: Visual Effects for Gholamreza Takhti

References and External Links

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