Foruzan, a Star of a Past Era

Early in the week, the news of the passing of one of the most significant actresses of pre-revolutionary Iranian cinema was surprising for many. The news of the death of Parvin Kheirbekhsh, known as Foruzan, was published at a time when she had been buried in silence. The reasons for her early burial without a ceremony remain unclear, but her death reminded many of the fate of several other actresses from the past era of Iranian cinema. Foruzan was one of the most important actresses of pre-revolutionary Iranian cinema, starting her career at the age of 27 with a role in the film 'Sahil Entezar' directed by Siamak Yasemi. Taghi Mokhtar, a film writer and active filmmaker from the years before the revolution who had several collaborations with Foruzan, explains how she entered cinema: 'Foruzan was working in dubbing and collaborated in dubbing foreign films at the Moulin Rouge dubbing studio. During the production of films that were being dubbed in this studio, filmmakers who frequented there became acquainted with her and saw that she was a beautiful young woman and suggested that she enter the cinema. Thus, Foruzan's acting career began from there, while she continued to work in dubbing for another year or two. However, after achieving significant success in cinema, she left dubbing behind.' Her role in the highly successful film 'Ganj-e Qarun' quickly made Foruzan known to mass audiences in her fourth performance. She rapidly rose to the status of a star. Her presence had a significant impact on the financial success of films and she was the first choice of many filmmakers in the second half of the 1960s for their films. Like other stars of that era, Foruzan's cinematic persona was complemented by the voice of her usual narrator, Zhaleh Kazemi, and her regular singer, Ahdieh. In this regard, she had a situation similar to that of Mohammad Ali Fardin, the male star of those years. Taghi Mokhtar speaks about the reasons for Foruzan's success: 'There was a special charm in her face, along with a unique smile and a sweet face. She was an actress whose presence resonated with the people. Even personally, she was very intelligent and knew how to navigate the cinema scene to strengthen her position day by day. Even in the clichéd roles she played, she could perform them much better, more attractively, and more warmly than her competitors.' The pre-revolutionary cinema of Iran, for various reasons, did not provide much opportunity for female actors to present diverse roles. Their offers were usually limited to playing the roles of café dancers and prostitutes. Foruzan was also forced to accept these roles, but her record shows that especially from the beginning of the 1970s, she was eager to act in films by different filmmakers. Thus, she collaborated with Ali Hatami in two films, 'Qalandar' and 'Baba Shaml,' and her presence in the films 'Raghs-e Shahr' directed by Shapur Gharib and 'Doshneh' directed by Fereydoun Gole was different. Taghi Mokhtar discusses Foruzan's efforts to appear in diverse films, stating that she was always looking for experiences that went against the current and even provided funding for the production of some of these films: 'She was interested in acting in films known as the New Wave or better films of that time. She would even suggest and try to ensure that better films were made. In one or two cases, she invested in these works. She was very eager to break out of the mold that had been created for her and to be recognized as an actress. But being a star also has its requirements. You have to act in a way that does not damage your stardom or what people expect from you. This is also very difficult.' The most important film in Foruzan's career is 'Dayereh Mina,' directed by the influential Iranian filmmaker Dariush Mehrjui. The film, made in 1974, deals with the activities of blood-selling groups of that time. Foruzan's selection for this film was unexpected for many. Dariush Mehrjui explains the reasons for her selection: 'For the nurse role in the film Dayereh Mina, I saw various women, both actresses and non-actresses, and tested them. Eventually, I concluded that Foruzan was the best among them and suited the role the most. She was indeed a very good actress and was excellent in terms of work discipline, efficiency, and punctuality.' Foruzan emerged from a movement known as Filmfarsi, while Mehrjui was considered a pioneer of the New Wave cinema movement. Thus, an unusual collaboration was formed. Dariush Mehrjui states that he had not seen Foruzan's previous films, but her activity in the Filmfarsi genre was not important to him: 'I did not watch any of these films and did not know what they were about. Our system was something else, and we were warned against these Filmfarsi films, as Mr. Kavousi said. I had not seen any of Foruzan's previous films, and it was not important to me at all. What mattered to me was that this artist fit the role in terms of appearance, acting, and demeanor. What her background was and what she had or had not done was not very important to me.' Foruzan delivered one of her most different performances in the film Dayereh Mina, alongside other actors in the film, including Saeed Kangarani, Ezzatollah Entezami, and Ali Nasirian. Dariush Mehrjui also states that he was very satisfied with Foruzan's performance: 'I was satisfied with her work and I am very sorry that she left us so soon. She was a very good actress, and it is a pity that she did not have the opportunity to act in other valuable artistic films.' Dayereh Mina was banned for four years due to its critical content and was finally released in the spring of 1979, at a time when cinematic activities were coming to a halt due to the prevailing protest atmosphere in the country. Thus, Foruzan's performance was not widely seen, and she did not have the opportunity to collaborate with other diverse directors. The revolution of 1979 marked the end of Foruzan's acting career and the beginning of a new chapter in her life. This period, according to Babak Imamian, Foruzan's nephew, began with her being summoned to revolutionary judicial authorities: 'She and several other artists were summoned. They said that if they were not executed, they would be imprisoned. But they said that instead of giving up all their possessions to the government and having no artistic or social activity, they would be pardoned.' In her later years, Foruzan appeared less in public, and no images or interviews of her were published anywhere. Babak Imamian describes this period of Foruzan's life: 'In the first 15 to 20 years after the revolution, their condition was that she could never be in public. Foruzan adhered to this because she lived in Iran. Later, when some leniency occurred, the conditions for her to act in a few films or other artistic works were issues that she was not willing to accept. Therefore, she decided to have no activity at all. She had an extraordinarily strong personality and was very independent.' Foruzan's contribution to Iranian cinema includes acting in 58 films, winning two Sepas awards for the films 'Tangeh-e Azdaha' and 'Baba Shaml,' and becoming a symbol of a bygone era.