‘Operation 125’ star talks about series

In an interview with local media, Iranian actor Abdorreza Akbari talks about his experience starring in all sequels to ifilm series ‘Operation 125’.

The series ended on ifilm English channel a few weeks back. To get an insider’s look at the series, local media found a good excuse to interview one of the lead actors of the show who appeared in all three seasons of the Iranian TV production.

Noted Iranian actor Abdorreza Akbari sits down for a talk and below features some highlights of what he said about ifilm series ‘Operation 125’.

Mr. Akbari, tell us about ‘Operation 125’ and to what extent this series was needed to be?

Actor: The series narrates the story of firefighters. This is particularly related to the day-to-day life of firefighters; those who are very comfortable with dangers they face; in all emergencies such as fire, flood and destruction, and other unfortunate events we normally encounter. Perhaps a documentary about this profession was made, but before the series, firefighters were not particularly featured in the form of films or series. This show was a narration of several young and intimate friends dealing with issues in firefighter suits.

How does it feel to work with three directors in various seasons of the series? Tell your experience in this area.

Actor: Everyone makes a TV or cinematic work to their taste, streaming their own thoughts in such creation. The viewpoints of the three directors in this series made a lot of difference in each series, because each of them worked in their own way.

For example, Mr. Afkhami (the director) did less in the operational and action parts of the series, though it is said these areas are characteristics of his directing style. In the second series, the action element was fortified and we witnessed a lot of operations, such as landslides, fire, building collapse and accident at factory.

Mr. Abparwar also created the third installment of the series with his own gaze, and in fact he features a mixture of these two looks. In addition to the operations, the educative sections in the third season were very visible and the layout of the their season was more credible and thought-provoking.

Considering your role as the crew commander of a fire department in the series, you must have had trouble depicting the character in this TV series.

Actor: Naturally, the first season of the series which was directed by Behrouz Afkhami, was harder due to characterization, but in subsequent instalemnts the process was simpler as the characters were well-shaped.

The entire ‘Operation 125’ series was hard to do, especially in areas where we had to carry out fire fighting operations and action scenes. My other friends in the series wore real protective suits for firefighters to deal with fire, wells, high elevations and so on.

Due to the difficulty and specialized nature of your role, you should also have taken fire fighting training.

Actor: Yes, of course, since the opportunity did not present itself, we learned tips along the way during the shooting stage of the series.

In such specialized and action-packed work, there should be training for actors at the same time, so they can become familiar with the environment and characters. It's not easy-- However, the actor does their own job apart from what the stun performers carry out, including professional jumping and being set on fire.

Given that ‘Operation 125’ airs on a channel (ifilm) with English dubbing, how much success does the series may get in the case of non-Iranian audiences. Is the show a good choice for such purpose?

Actor: This series has the capacity to be broadcast everywhere because all countries have a number of common professions, including fire fighting. Also, these kinds of series are also educative and will be well-received everywhere in the world.

AG/AG