TEHRAN – The 37th edition of the Fajr Film Festival premiered “Gholamreza Takhti”, a movie about the life story of Iranian Olympic gold-medalist wrestler Gholamreza Takhti whose manly virtue and social activities during the 1960s made him a national hero.

Takhti was found dead at a hotel room in Tehran in 1968 and the Persian dailies Kayhan and Ettelaat reported that he has committed suicide for his unhappy domestic life. However, a large group of people also believed that he was killed by the SAVAK intelligence services due to his disloyalty to the Shah regime. 

This is the second movies puts its spotlight on Takhti’s life story, but his death still remains a mystery.

“Takhti’s death whether he was killed or committed suicide has always been the main topic in Iran,” director Bahram Tavakkoli said in a press conference on Wednesday after the premiere of his film “Gholamreza Takhti” at the Fajr festival.

“In my opinion, what is important about Takhti is his way of life that made him eternal,” he added.

In “Gholamreza Takhti”, Tavakkoli confirms that Takhti has killed himself.

“At the beginning of the film, we unlock the mystery that has always occupied the minds of our people and then recount his life story,” Tavakkoli said.

“If people carry out a research about Takhti’s life, they will find this answer about his death, because there numerous sources and documents about this issue,” he added.

Tavakkoli’s previous film “The Lost Strait” that recounts the true story of Iran’s Ammar Battalion’s epic operation during the last days of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war was highly acclaimed at the Fajr festival last year.

Ali Hatami, known as the Hafez of Iranian cinema due to the native and poetic ambiance of his movies, was the first director who chose Takhti’s life story to turn into a film during the 1980s.

He began shooting the film titled “World Champion Takhti”, but it remained unfinished due to Hatami’s death in 1996.

Director Behruz Afkhami was then selected to complete the film, which critics called it a good thriller that failed to solve the mystery of Takhti’s death.

Photo: “Gholamreza Takhti” by Bahram Tavakkoli.

MMS