Exclusive Interview: Mehdi Bagher Beigi

One of the most popular Iranian series in the 1980s was ‘The Stories of Majid’ made by Kiumars Pourahmad which was based on the stories by Houshang Moradi Kermani. The series depict the everyday life of a young boy named Majid who lives with his grandmother Bibi (literally meaning grandmother) in the central Iranian city of Isfahan. The series became a major hit in Iran and Majid, with his distinct and sweet Isfahani accent, became a household name. Now, after so many years, the children who grew up with Majid still enjoy watching the series and have a very nostalgic feeling about it.

ifilm has conducted an exclusive interview with Mehdi Bagher Beigi who portrayed Majid in the series and is now a grown man. Below is a rough translation of selected parts of the interview conducted by ifilm in Persian:  

ifilm: We all know how you were chosen to play the role of ‘Majid’. The crew of the series came to your school and auditioned the students and they eventually chose you. Did you ever ask Kiumard Pourahmad (the director), how he decided to choose you for the role?

Bagher Beigi: I never asked but I remember the day Houshang Moradi Kermani, the creator of ‘The Stories of Majid’, was invited to come on the filming location he took a long look at me and then told Mr. Pourahmad “you chose the exact appearance I had on mind… thin, looking like a poet having all of Majid’s features.” I believe that when Mr. Pourahmad read the stories, he made an image in his mind and was looking for Majid’s performer base on that.

ifilm: Was your family interested in watching films and going to the movies?

Bagher Beigi: Well, television as an inseparable part of the family those days but we were not very much interested in the cinema. My father, being a religious man, would not go to the movies but had high regards for arts and culture; all the people of Isfahan have so much fondness for arts. But I used to act in school plays before ‘The Stories of Majid’. Even after school hours, I would practice for hours with my friends. But family’s priority was education.

ifilm: How did they come to terms with the fact that you were chosen to act in the series?

Bagher Beigi: As a matter of fact, they did not easily accept it and I had to beg them to let me. My parents were worried about my education and they had every right to be. But Mr. Pourahmad reassured them and after we started the project, he was even stricter that my parents. I remember during the early stages of the work, Mr. Pourahmad’s father passed away but even then he would ask me questions to make sure that I was studying my lessons! He was so worried about my education. I think this attitude should be a model for today’s directors who feel no commitments towards the children in their movies. Because of my small size, he would provide me with extra snacks including dried nuts and bananas so that I would not feel tired.

ifilm: Many people consider your relaxed acting alongside other members of the crew as one of the strongest points of the series. How much was this related to the backstage supports that you received?

Bagher Beigi: Very much so! I was involved in ‘The Stories of Majid’ for a year at that age and without exaggeration I must say that all the crew had come to present their best work. From the logistics team to cameramen and sound recordist, they all had my back. Bibi [the name of Majid’s grandmother in the series which literally means grandmother, portrayed by Parvindokht Yazdanian], may she rest in peace, was always looking after me. Nobody much about the money then and all they would think about was the work. We had become like a family and I really enjoyed it.

ifilm: ‘The Stories of Majid’ was based on Houshang Moradi Kermani’s captivating stories and of course Kiumars Pourahmad’s skills made the story even more interesting. To become more intertwined with the character, were the stories read to you or merely the dialogues would be read?

Bagher Beigi: I believe that when God wants a work to be well-made, he place all the right pieces together from the beginning. I was only Bagher Beigi2 and if I was supposed to simply read the script, I would not understand it well and the work would not have a decent outcome. Mr. Pourahmad would tell me the whole story before starting to shoot and as we were talking about the story, he would slowly say the dialogues and I would understand the story by making images in my mind. Mr. Pourahmad had a an important role in how we performed; me, Bibi, school students and even experienced actors like Jahanbakhsh Soltani. Mr. Pourahmad has an extraordinary talent in getting good performance from actors, even from professional actors. Playing in this drama was my biggest break and people really loved it.

ifilm: But after this big break, although you acted in other series, the success of ‘The Stories of Majid’ was never repeated and those other series did not become popular.

Bagher Beigi: Yes exactly. The truth is one of the problems is that children who perform in young ages are left alone and nobody supervises them to get them educated for the coming years and these talents are lost.

ifilm: You have become a member of the Islamic Council of the City of Isfahan, why did you choose politics over arts?

Bagher Beigi: After I finished my education, I started working at the Culture and Recreation Organization of Isfahan Municipality and since I had worked in there and gained experienced in addition to the fact that I love my city, Isfahan,  I decided to serve the people and people trusted me and I was elected with a large number of votes. I do not think that I work in politics; for me, it is mostly a social activity.

ifilm: Does this mean that you have said goodbye to the world of acting?

Bagher Beigi: Ever since I became familiar with acting and arts, I decided to take acting as an art rather than an occupation or my job. Because if acting were my main job, then I would have had to accept any role to survive. Acting, for me, is a work of passion and if I get a good offer, why not?

ifilm: Is there anything that you wish to tell Kiumars Pourahmad and Bibi but you never had the chance to?

Bagher Beigi: (Pauses for a while and then he says) I will tell Kiumars Pourahmad and Bibi that I will kiss your hands… from the bottom of my heart… for your services to the city of Isfahan, the Isfahani accent as well as arts and culture of our country. All these years, I have tried to be a source of pride and not a source of shame. I tried not to ruin Majid’s image for people as if I took a wrong step, Majid’s reputation will suffer. I know that Bibi’s prayer is always with me. I have believed Majid, I live with him; Majid is my constant companion. If my voice reaches there, I will say: Dear Bibi, pray for me.

Interview conducted by: Ghazal Nahani

HY/HY