Haft Sang (TV series) explained

Alt Name:Seven Stones
Genre:Drama
Romance
Comedy
Family
Creator:Christopher Lloyd
Steven Levitan
Director:Alireza Bazrafshan
Starring:Mehdi Soltani
Parviz Poorhosseini
Behnam Tashakkor
Farnaz Rahnama
Shabnam Moghaddami
Elham Pavehnejad
Afshin Sangchap
Amir Reza Delavari
Arsalan Ghasemi
Country:Iran
Language:Persian
Num Episodes:25
Runtime:45 minutes
Company:20th Century Fox International Television
Network:IRIB TV3

Haft Sang (Persian: هفت‌سنگ; "Seven stones") is an Iranian television series by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). It began airing in 2014, one day after the beginning of Ramadan. It is an unauthorised adaptation (or, as some commentators say, shot-for-shot copy) of the American television series Modern Family. 20th Century Fox did not authorize the production of this series, due to the economic sanctions by the U.S. against Iran.[1]

The show is named after "haft sang" or lagori, a children's game. Each episode is around 40 to 50 minutes long, twice as long as each episode of the original American version. As a result, the series has been said to have a slower pace compared to the American version.[2] Some subplots in the American version are not present in Haft Sang, such as the ones that pertain to homosexuality or dating.

Characters

!Character Name in Haft Sang!Corresponding Character in Modern Family
MohsenPhil Dunphy
LeilaClaire Dunphy
ShaahinLuke Dunphy
ShadiAlex Dunphy
Amir*Haley Dunphy
AnoushDylan Marshall
NasirJay Pritchett
MehriGloria Pritchett
HamedManny Delgado
Behrooz**Mitch Pritchett
Elham**Cam Tucker

*Portrayal of friendships between boys and girls is not permitted on Iranian television.[2] As such, the character of Haley Dunphy is replaced by that of a teenage boy, Amir.[1] Haley's boyfriend, Dylan, is accordingly changed to Anoush, Amir's friend.[2]

**Due to complications in televising homosexuality in Iran, the Iranian equivalents of Mitch and Cam are a heterosexual couple, Behrooz and Elham. Accordingly, the reason for them adopting a child is due to Elham's infertility.[2]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Iranian Version of 'Modern Family' Unauthorized By 20th Century Fox TV - Variety. Jordyn Holman. Variety. 3 July 2014 . April 28, 2015. May 28, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150528013225/http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/iranian-modern-family-haft-sang-unauthorized-version-1201257925/. live.
  2. Web site: Harris . Aisha . 2014-07-03 . The Story Behind That Iranian Version of Modern Family . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220715153451/https://slate.com/culture/2014/07/modern-family-in-iran-the-story-behind-haft-sang-an-adaptation-of-the-u-s-sitcom-video.html . 2022-07-15 . 2022-11-26 . Slate Magazine . en.