Sahar Qoreishi

Biography

Sahar Ghoreishi (Persian: سحر قریشی; born 27 December 1987) is an Iranian actress. She began her acting career in 2009 with a role in the film Laj-o-Laj Bazi and gained prominence that same year for her performance in the television series Delnavazan.

== Personal life == Sahar Ghoreishi was born in Tehran. She married Mehran Akhavan Zakeri in 2004; they divorced in 2009. She had short-term relationships with Iranian footballer Mehdi Taremi and singer Amir Tataloo.

== Career == Ghoreishi began her career performing a role in the television show Laj-o-Laj Bazi (English: Pertinacity) (2009), and she rose to fame among Iranians by starring in the TV series Delnavazan. She is also active in brand endorsement and modelling.

== Controversies ==

=== Photo Controversy === In 2019, images circulated on social media suggesting a close relationship between Sahar Ghoreishi and Mehdi Taremi. Amid growing speculation and reactions, both parties expressed regret over the release of the images and described their relationship as friendly.

=== Views on Women Attending Sports Stadiums === In December 2017, Ghoreishi stated in an interview that she opposed women attending sports stadiums, saying she felt “disturbed” by the presence of men around her. Previously, she had attended a Persepolis vs. Al-Hilal match at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi, with photos of her at the event shared online. Her remarks sparked widespread criticism, particularly on social media. Public figures such as Mahnaz Afshar, Masih Alinejad, and Salome Seyednia responded to her comments. In a subsequent interview, Ghoreishi clarified that her stance on women attending stadiums was a personal opinion shared with her fans, citing “lack of safety for women in stadiums” as her reason.

=== Instagram Account Hack === In late October 2016, Ghoreishi’s Instagram account, with 4.4 million followers, was hacked. For several hours, an image of the Saudi Arabian king and the country’s flag was posted on her page.

=== Mistreatment of a Street Cleaner === On April 22, 2020, a video surfaced showing Ghoreishi laughing near a municipal street cleaner, telling her friends, "I matched my outfit with him." After the worker reacted by saying, "Go, lady," Ghoreishi remarked to her friends, "All I needed was for him to tell me to go." The footage quickly went viral, triggering widespread public backlash. Majid Farahani, a member of the Tehran City Council, publicly demanded an apology, stating that if none was offered, he would pursue a formal legal complaint against Ghoreishi through the municipality's legal department. Actor Sam Derakhshani criticized Ghoreishi’s actions on Instagram, labeling her among “pseudo-artists” who rose in Iran’s cinema through connections. He wrote, “The story starts with pseudo-artists who, through their deals, rise to fame and develop a delusion of being true artists… Half the insults the artistic community receives are due to the ignorance of people like you.”