Bita Farrahi (born Bita Laharkhani Dinbali) was one of the most influential women in Iranian cinema. She graduated in art from the John Powers School in the United States in 1980. In 1989, through Nasser Cheshmazar, she was introduced to director Dariush Mehrjui for the acclaimed film “Hamoun”.

Few people who follow Iranian cinema would not remember Bita Farrahi’s unforgettable performances in the films “Banoo” and “Hamoun”. In “Hamoun”, playing the role of Mahshid opposite Hamid Hamoun, she appeared so capable that it is not unreasonable to consider her the symbol of the modern, intellectual woman in the cinema of that era. Mahshid was a thoughtful woman who stood up to Hamoun and spoke of intellectual matters; this alone was enough to make Mahshid a turning point in Bita Farrahi’s artistic career, amidst the restrictions placed on women’s presence in cinema during those years.

This beautiful and always elegant actress continued her successful acting career in Mehrjui’s film “Banoo” (The Lady), once again displaying the image of a determined and thoughtful woman opposite Khosrow Shakibai. A woman who has something to say, is proud yet kind, well-read, and indeed not unlike the real Bita Farrahi herself. It is a great pity that Iranian cinema lost her too soon.

Untold Stories of Starring Alongside Khosrow Shakibai

In Mani Haghighi’s interview with Dariush Mehrjui, published in the book “Forty Years Record”, Mehrjui recalls a memory of the late Khosrow Shakibai:

“In one sequence of the film ‘Hamoun’, Mahshid comes home late. To get a natural reaction in this scene, we didn’t tell Bita Farrahi that she was going to be slapped! After shooting this take, the late Khosrow went to a corner of the location and cried bitterly. I went to him to console him. Khosrow said: ‘But I knew I was going to slap her.'”

Immediately after “Hamoun”, Mehrjui started making “Banoo”. He has mentioned elsewhere that he wrote the script based on Bita Farrahi’s character. Perhaps seeing the character of Banoo close to Farrahi and knowing her well, he offered her the role, and thus Farrahi, Shakibai, and Ezzatollah Entezami became co-stars once again. “Banoo” was made but had to wait seven years to be screened on the silver screen.

In the following years of the 1990s, Bita Farrahi continued her artistic activities by collaborating with great directors such as Ahmad Reza Darvish, Bahman Farmanara, Masoud Kimiai, and Rakhshan Bani-Etemad. Along with Khosrow Shakibai, she formed one of the most famous and beloved on-screen couples of that decade. Her appearance in films such as “Hotel Carton” directed by Sirus Alvand in 1996 and “Protest” directed by Masoud Kimiai in 1999 added to the diversity of her acting portfolio.

In 2000, Bita Farrahi entered television by playing the role of Azardokht in the TV series “Velayat-e Eshgh” directed by Mehdi Fakhimzadeh. She then continued her television presence in the series “Father of the Soil” in 2002 and the series “Spellbound” in 2004.