Mehdi Faghih | مهدی فقیه

Mehdi Faghih (born December 26, 1945, in Shiraz) is an Iranian actor who began his theatrical career in the 1940s in Shiraz. Afterward, he went to France and academically studied acting at the University of Vincennes. From 1968, he embarked on his professional performance career. Kourosh Kamali Sarvestani, the director of the Farsi Encyclopedia, states that Faghih first introduced a new form of theater in 1970 by performing "Rostam and Sohrab" with puppets and actors in cities and villages of Fars province to gain public attention. He also created the first theatrical poster in Shiraz with "Afie Talayi" (Golden Snake). Subsequently, he focused on puppet theater and brought well-known puppet characters like Gorgin, Khoub Chehr (Good Face), Bastoor, Jiji Bijji, and Pahlavan Kuchaklak to the stage.

One of Faghih's significant artistic activities has been in puppetry, reviving certain puppetry traditions in Shiraz. He made essential efforts to stage the puppet show "Ji Ji Bi Ji." He believes that due to the rich cultural history of our country, there are many beautiful and suitable texts with deep roots that match our culture for performance. One such text is Ji Ji Bi Ji or Pahlavan Kuchak, which should be performed using puppetry. In this show, 14 puppets are used on stage. In the past, traveling theater groups performed this show during Nowruz in the alleys and neighborhoods of Fars province for the people. Sometimes, these traveling groups also performed this show in the houses of nobility and elites.

Faghih pursued his studies in theater in France and was ranked second in the country for a university scholarship. He studied theater at the University of Vincennes. Regarding his family's religious views about this, he says, "My father was very religious, known for interpreting the Quran in Shiraz, and they told him Chief of …