Iranian prosecutors have opened a criminal case against a theater company, following a video recorded by an audience member showing an actress resting her head on the chest of her male co-star during a theater performance in Tehran.

The authorities ruled that this particular scene violated the “social norms” of the Islamic Republic, where public physical contact between unrelated men and women is prohibited, even in the context of artistic performances.

The scene in question is from the play “Tehran, Paris, Tehran,” which tells the story of Sara, a young woman who travels from Tehran to Paris and then returns to Iran, seeking revenge for her father’s murder.

At the center of the investigation is the scene in which actress Fatemeh Masoudifar appears to be leaning toward her co-star Mehrdan Sedigian, while he appears to be placing his hand on top of her head.

The scene from the play:

An Iranian actress faces a prison sentence for this innocuous scene!

A woman touching a man triggers Neanderthal Ayatollahs and religious fascists.

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BTW, this is a scene where a sister hugs a brother. And notice how far she stands from him.

Her name: Fatemeh Masoudifar#Tehran pic.twitter.com/sjlalhUwR0

— S.L. Kanthan (@Kanthan2030) September 27, 2026

The show’s production company claimed that the video circulating on social media—which was filmed by a spectator with a cell phone—does not accurately capture the scene, as the camera angle gives the impression that the two actors are closer together than they actually were on stage.

At the same time, the production team stated that the two characters appearing in this particular scene are siblings within the play’s storyline, a fact which, according to the production, means that their physical contact does not violate the provisions of Islamic law.

As the company noted, the embrace is part of a dramatic moment in which the characters are facing a crisis in the unfolding of the story.

Iranian prosecutors have filed criminal charges against the production team of the play *Tehran–Paris–Tehran*,after a video filmed by an audience member showed actress Fatemeh Masoudifar resting her head on actor Mehrdad Sedighian’s chest on stage; authorities deemed the scene a violation of “social norms.”… pic.twitter.com/pUEepyGnjB

— Ji Chunsheng (@jichunsheng) September 28, 2026

This case adds to a series of legal actions taken in recent years in Iran against artists for violating the country’s religious laws.

Just a few days earlier, an appeals court in the city of Qom upheld the convictions of singer Parastou Ahmadí and seven other musicians for an online concert that had been broadcast on YouTube in December 2024, in which she appeared without wearing a hijab.

The defendants were each sentenced to 74 lashes and were also banned from performing or traveling for two years.
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Source: Proto Thema