Bitter Coffee (Iranian video series)
| Bitter Coffee | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Also known as | Ghahveh Talkh |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Created by | Mehran Modiri |
| Written by | Amir Mehdi Jhooleh Khashayar Alvand |
| Directed by | Mehran Modiri |
| Starring |
Mehran Modiri Siamak Ansari Mohammad Reza Hedayati Sahar Zakaria Saeid Pirdoost Saed Hedayati |
| Country of origin | Iran |
| Original language(s) | Persian |
| No. of episodes | 102 Released - 111 Planned |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Hamid Aghagolian Majid Aghagolian |
| Location(s) | Tehran, Iran |
| Editor(s) | Javad Aslani |
| Running time | 30–40 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original release | September 2010 - 2012 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Man of Many Many Faces |
| Followed by | Laughing Bomb |
Bitter Coffee (Persian: قهوه تلخ) is a historical comedy series directed by Mehran Modiri. Three episodes are released at a time (roughly every week) on three VCD or one DVD, priced in Iran at 25000 rials (currently approximately $2.50). The first set of episodes were released on 23 Shahrivar 1389 (13 September 2010).
Production of the series began in June 2009. Bitter Coffee was meant to be produced for television, to be broadcast by the IRIB, but due to various disagreements between IRIB and the series' producers, it didn't air. An alleged reason for disagreement between the producers and IRIB was that the producers wanted all of the advertisement profit from the series, but IRIB refused to agree. Another rumoured reason was the planned content of the series, IRIB officials eventually refused to show Bitter Coffee, and the series was eventually distributed in VCD format, at various outlets throughout Iran.
Inside each pack is a ticket number with which the ticket holder could win one of many prizes (including 6 fully furnished apartments in Tehran, 3 brand new cars, and many cash prizes). This is done to aid sales and to discourage copying (in fact Modiri addresses this very candidly before the beginning of the first episode). There are thousands of shops that distribute the series within Iran, but apparently none that do outside of Iran, where Modiri has a very large fan base amongst expats.
The series begins with history teacher Nima Zande-Karimi (Siamak Ansari) realising that his extensive research on Persian and world history is of little use to financing his day-to-day life. He is about to leave Tehran for good to go back to his hometown when he comes across young university student Roya Atabaki (Sahar Jafari-Jozani) who is researching for her final year dissertation, which is regarding the period 1198–1203, that is said to be a period of turmoil for Iran's ruling elite. Such turmoil that, very few books are available on that period for Roya's research. It is then that Nima receives an anonymous telephone call, which leads him to Niavaran Palace (currently a museum), where he is told to have a coffee and wait. The coffee (which is bitter) is ready and he duly drinks it, his sight becomes hazy, and when he manages to refocus he is in the year 1201 (1822 AD), and the story develops therein.
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