Maziar Partow
Mushegh's Friend and collaborator
FRIENDS
9/23/20262 min read
The friendship between Maziar Partow and the Sarvarians began on the set of one of Mushegh Sarvarian’s most ambitious films, Shabneshini dar Jahanam (A Party in Hell). Partow was working behind the scenes when something about his appearance, physical presence, and expressive manner caught Mushegh’s attention. Mushegh saw in him a natural comic quality and unexpectedly brought him in front of the camera, casting him as the Son of the Lord, an allusion to Jesus Christ, in the film’s fantastical final sequence, when Haji Jabar and Ebram arrive in the heavenly kingdom and encounter God. Partow embraced the unusual role with a memorable comic performance, and what began as an encounter between a filmmaker and a young member of the crew grew into a lasting friendship.
When Mushegh later began Haji Jabar dar Paris, he had not forgotten Partow’s comic abilities. This time, Partow was deliberately cast in a more substantial role as the romantic rival of the film’s central character. Once again, his instinct for comedy served the film well. Their collaboration reflected something characteristic of Mushegh’s approach to filmmaking: his willingness to recognize unexpected talents in the people around him and find a place for them within his imaginative world. For Partow, who would go on to build a distinguished career behind the camera as a cinematographer and filmmaker, these early appearances also became part of his connection to the Sarvarian family.
The friendship outlived their work together. Years later, by coincidence, Partow and his family became neighbors of George Sarvarian’s family in another part of Tehran. An old artistic connection was suddenly renewed in the rhythms of everyday life. The families began spending time together regularly, and the friendship naturally passed to another generation: Armen Sarvarian and Zubin Partow became childhood friends and street playmates. Film sets and theatrical personalities had given way to neighborhood visits, family gatherings, and children playing outside together.
For roughly the next decade, until immigration began carrying the families away from Iran, that closeness remained a regular part of their lives. What had started with Mushegh noticing a young man working behind the scenes had, over the years, become a relationship shared by children and families. It is one of those friendships in the Sarvarian story that illustrates how Iran’s artistic community often extended far beyond professional collaboration—colleagues became friends, friends became neighbors, and neighbors became part of the family’s collective memory.