Unrequited love depicted in Iranian series

While many Iranian series are themed on the love between a man and a woman as a cliché, this subject matter is yet to be fully discussed in the case of unrequited love.

Making sacrifices as well as loving or betraying someone are among the topics that thousands of writers and directors think about before making their latest series or movies. They present such issues in a new vein so that a new story is created. Taking a brief look at the process of making series in Iran, one can realize that “love" has been the subject matter adopted by a great number of writers and directors, but each time with a different story showing various characters in shades of grey, and not in black or white.

Sometimes in the love stories depicted in TV series, we see knots in the script unravel at the hands of a woman, such as the TV series ‘The Forbidden Fruit’ in which the director untied the knot in Hajji Younes' life story by the female lead named Hasti, after a short narration. The man starts a new path of life with a girl who is many years younger than the starring role. Another case in point is the series ‘The Warped Interpretation of a Dream’ in which the return of an old love changed the fate of each character in the story.

The madness and fascination of the main characters in these stories are among the main elements in these forbidden loves. For instance, in ‘Lean on the Wind’ series, a female college student falls for a man who is 30 years older than her, and an unusual love is depicted on the small screen. A love that is every so often immoral or has a monetary incentive.

 'It Was an Angel' and  ‘Until Being with Sorayya’  are two other shows that feature such love in the case of men and women in difficult situations. 

Nevertheless, sympathy, excessive love, emotional voids and changes in the workplace have sometimes spurred the attachment in the case of the characters in these TV series. A case in point is the TV series ‘On the Way to Zayandeh Rood’ in which the victim's father sets an unbearable condition for his son’s murderer, saying that he will not forgive him unless the old man marries the murderer's mother. A wrong definition that bears a positive message and in most cases it has shown self-sacrifice, patience and honor.

All the above-mentioned series are among those that have portrayed love out of its usual framework, and indeed became some of the most popular works on television. These stories did not cross the red lines in society and have a positive impact, but they present this kind of affection as a starting point to narrate a grabbing story for the audience members. 

AG/AG