Editing Shahnameh (section)

== In popular culture ==

The Soviet Armenian composer [[Sergey Balasanian]] and Tajik composer Sharif Bobokalonov wrote the opera ''Kova the Blacksmith'' ({{Lang|ru|Кузнец Кова}}) based on the story of [[Zahhak]] and [[Kaveh the Blacksmith|Kaveh]] from the ''Shahnameh''. It premiered in 1940 in concert with a Russian libretto, and in 1941 on stage with a Tajik-language libretto by Abulkasim Lahuti.<ref>[https://www.classic-music.ru/opera_kova.html Опера Баласаняна «Кузнец Кова»] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116122507/https://www.classic-music.ru/opera_kova.html |date=2023-01-16 }} (description). 2011-07-28</ref><ref>[https://www.belcanto.ru/opera_kova.html Опера Баласаняна «Кузнец Кова»] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116122535/https://www.belcanto.ru/opera_kova.html |date=2023-01-16 }} (plot summary of each act)</ref>

The ''Shahnameh'' has also been adapted to many films and animations:

* [[Shirin Farhad (1931 film)|''Shirin Farhad'']] (1931), Indian [[Hindi]]-language feature film based on the story of [[Khosrow and Shirin]], directed by [[J.J. Madan]] and starring [[Jehanara Kajjan]] and Master Nissar. It was the second Indian [[sound film]] after ''[[Alam Ara]]'' (also released in the same year).<ref name=":1">{{cite book|author1=Ashish Rajadhyaksha|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rF8ABAAAQBAJ|title=Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema|author2=Paul Willemen|publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]]|year=2014|isbn=978-1-135-94325-7}}</ref>
*[[Shirin Farhad (1956 film)|''Shirin Farhad'']] (1956), Indian [[Romance film|romantic]] [[adventure drama film]] based on the story of Khosrow and Shirin, directed by Aspi Irani and starring [[Madhubala]] and [[Pradeep Kumar]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Shirin Farhad (1956)|url=https://indiancine.ma/IDO|website=Indiancine.ma|access-date=2020-11-03|archive-date=2021-01-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121211109/https://indiancine.ma/IDO|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite book|author1=Filippo Carlà-Uhink|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2wvBDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA265|title=Orientalism and the Reception of Powerful Women from the Ancient World|author2=Anja Wieber|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|year=2020|isbn=978-1-350-05011-2|page=265|access-date=2020-11-03|archive-date=2023-08-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230804014307/https://books.google.com/books?id=2wvBDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA265|url-status=live}}</ref>
*''[[Rustam Sohrab|Rustom Sohrab]]'' (1963), Indian [[adventure drama film]] based on the story of Rustam and Sohrab, directed by [[Vishram Bedekar]] and starring [[Prithviraj Kapoor]] and [[Prem Nath|Premnath]].<ref name=":1" />
*In 1971–1976, [[Tajikfilm]] produced a trilogy comprising ''Skazanie o Rustame'', ''Rustam i Sukhrab'' and ''Skazanie o Siyavushe''.
*''Zal & Simorgh'' (1977), Persian short animation directed by [[Ali Akbar Sadeghi]], narrates the story of [[Zal|Zāl]] from birth until returning to the human society.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Zal & Simorgh|url=http://www.aliakbarsadeghi.com/zal---simorgh.html|website=aliakbarsadeghi.com|language=en-GB|access-date=2017-06-26|archive-date=2016-11-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161109233124/http://www.aliakbarsadeghi.com/zal---simorgh.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*''Kova the Blacksmith'' (1987), a short Russian-language [[cutout animation]] made at Tajikfilm by director Munavar Mansurhojaev, based on the story of [[Zahhak]] and [[Kaveh the Blacksmith|Kaveh]].<ref>[https://ru.kinorium.com/8659964/  Кузнец Кова (1987)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116122508/https://ru.kinorium.com/8659964/ |date=2023-01-16 }}. ''Kinorium.com''</ref>
* ''Chehel Sarbaz'' (2007), Persian TV series directed by [[Mohammad Nourizad]], concurrently tells the story of [[Rostam]] and [[Esfandiar]], biography of [[Ferdowsi]], and a few other historical events.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://old.aviny.com/institute/ChehelSarbaz.aspx |title=Producer's web site (Persian) |access-date=2017-06-26 |archive-date=2017-06-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623105243/http://old.aviny.com/institute/ChehelSarbaz.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>
*''[[Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi]]'' (2012), Indian Hindi-language [[romantic comedy]] film about the love affair of a middle-aged [[Parsis|Parsi]] couple loosely based on the story of Khosrow and Shirin, directed by Bela Segal and starring [[Farah Khan]] and [[Boman Irani]].<ref>{{cite news|date=1 September 2012|title=India's vanishing Parsis – Not fade away|url=https://www.economist.com/asia/2012/09/01/not-fade-away|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=7 November 2020|archive-date=25 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925180246/https://www.economist.com/asia/2012/09/01/not-fade-away|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":2" />
*''[[The Last Fiction]]'' (2017), an acclaimed animated film is an adaptation of the story of [[Zahhak]].<ref>{{cite web |date=2016-05-01 |title=Iran animation invited to Cannes Film Festival – ISNA |url=http://en.isna.ir/news/95021206941/Iran-animation-invited-to-Cannes-Film-Festival |access-date=2016-10-29 |publisher=En.isna.ir |archive-date=2016-10-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161030000428/http://en.isna.ir/news/95021206941/Iran-animation-invited-to-Cannes-Film-Festival |url-status=live }}</ref>