Farzan Athari


Farzan Athari is a Swedish Iranian model and actor. He has worked in the modeling industry for several years and has also appeared in movies and on television.

Life and career

Athari was born in Tehran, Iran. He resides in Sweden and has also lived in the United Arab Emirates. He has modeled for several well-known brands, including Diesel, Nivea, Nokia and Smirnoff, as well as for publications such as GQ and Men's Health.
He starred on a 2013 music video by Haifa Wehbe, a well-known Lebanese singer and actress, which has been viewed several million times on YouTube.
He co-hosted the first season of Persia's Got Talent, an Iranian franchise of the British television show Got Talent, produced in Sweden.

Controversy

In May 2013, Athari was charged with drug possession in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He was initially sentenced to life in prison but later his sentence was reduced to 10 years. A rap song said to be recorded in his detention center was released in 2014, in which he asks the ruler of the Emirate of Dubai for a pardon. A campaign supported by the UK-based human rights organization Detained in Dubai called for his release. The Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs announced that Athari would receive consular support. He received a special pardon and was released after serving two years, returning to Sweden by December 2015.