Iran's "Nader and Simin” actor announces hiatus from cinema

TEHRAN, June 8 (MNA) -- Clean-cut star of Iranian cinema Shahab Hosseini plans to quit acting for five years beginning in the upcoming year.

The hiatus will begin after he completes his acting in “The Ancient Land”, a TV series that is currently being directed by Kamal Tabrizi.

“I need to get a new outlook in my work and life. Therefore, I must allocate some time to achieve the new perspectives,” he told the Persian service of IRNA on Tuesday.

“I am on the verge of entering my 40s and I need to answer some questions in my mind. I will never find any answers to these questions if I don’t devote sufficient time to study and research,” he added.

He also plans to establish a center to provide a consultation service for those who are seeking educational courses in cinema and acting.

Hosseini, 38, first appeared as a host of the acclaimed TV program “Oxygen”. He made his acting debut in 2000 in Saeid Soltani’s “After the Rain”, a TV series on feudal arrangements in a northern Iranian village during the reign of Reza Shah.

In 2008, he also shined in the acclaimed TV series “Zero Degree Orbit”, on Jewish people who took refuge in Iran in the 1940s.

In 2009, he starred in Tahmineh Milani’s “Superstar”, on an egotistic movie star who gradually metamorphizes when he meets his daughter.

This film brought him a Best Actor Crystal Simorgh from the Fajr International Film Festival, Iran’s most cinematic event.

He is one the leading actors in Asghar Farhadi’s two latest films “About Elly” and “Nader and Simin, a Separation”.

The cast ensemble of “Nader and Simin, a Separation” won best actor and actress Silver Bears at the Berlin film festival this year.