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Join UsStar Cast: John Abraham, Maanushi Chhillar, Neeru Bajwa, and others
Director:Arun Gopalan
What’s Good: A gripping storyline with no-nonsense action sequences
What’s Bad: The language barrier when it switches to Farsi!
Loo Break: Not needed!
Watch or Not?: Yes, if you are interested in some research
Language: Hindi
Available On: Zee 5
Runtime: 1 hour 50 minutes
User Rating:
“Iran wants to kill him, Israel has ditched him, and India has deserted him,” tells Rajiv Kumar’s associate to his wife. Rajiv Kumar, an Indian officer who barges into Tehran to avenge a bomb blast that killed a little girl. But what happens when his country abandons him? Tehran explores an intense tale woven between the international relationship between India, Israel, and Iran, and how the political ties impact a man on a mission to avenge a terrorist attack where India was collateral damage!
Bindi Karia’s story and screenplay, co-written by Ritesh Shah and Ashish Prakash Verma, carve out a brilliant film led by John Abraham, and beautifully supported by Maanushi Chhillar, Neeru Bajwa, Hadi Khanjanpour, and others. The spy thriller sets the tone for a war fought in boardrooms as much as it is fought on the fields!
Tehran Movie Review: Script Analysis
Tehran does not waste time and sets the premise in the first five minutes of the film. John Abraham plays DCP Rajiv Kumar, a celebrated officer in the special cell of Delhi Police. He is handed over the investigation of a bomb blast in Delhi near the Israeli Embassy, where a young girl loses her life. John makes it personal since he purchased a bouquet from the girl a few minutes back!
But to find the terrorists, he has to step into Tehran, and he cannot do that since India has a balanced diplomatic relationship with Iran. What follows next is DCP Rajiv Kumar’s struggle to not let India become collateral damage ever again, and it was one girl, but it was one life that was sacrificed, and he makes sure to avenge the loss!
Tehran Movie Review: Star Performance
Every performance in this film is a brilliance in subtle deliveries and powerful portrayals. John Abraham delivers a gritty, raw, and career-defining performance. He is not the invincible action hero of his past films, but a man with intensified emotions, delivering the right amount of drama and determination needed for this geopolitical action thriller!
Maanushi Chhillar, despite not getting much to speak, communicates in volumes through her stunts and action scenes! The actress is a revelation in Tehran, and she holds the screen, adding substance to the film. Neeru Bajwa, as Shilaja, also works in favor of the film.
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Tehran Movie Review: Direction, Music
In an era of spy thrillers that prioritize style over substance, and jingoism over crisp content, John Abraham’s film is an intelligent commentary on the geopolitical air and diplomatic ties between India, Iran and Israel. In fact, to understand the film better one needs to have all the basic information about the three countries and their interpersonal relationship, so that one can understand, where the film is headed to!
This is not a film that you might come to watch for some Independence Day’s deshbhakti kick. In fact, it is very intensely done, raising the stakes much higher, ditching the generic action and choreographed stunts, and choosing an intelligent, content-driven thriller that talks about an event and makes sure to keep you in the loop with every single detail that is related to the event!
The true hero of Tehran is its powerful writing.The screenplay is beautifully done in a tight and fast-paced manner, creating a world that is geopolitical and involves a lot of diplomatic discussions and awareness as well! The film moves ahead with a never-ending sense of urgency, never allowing you to breathe, following a single-line narrative, not moving in any other zone from international politics to personal sacrifices, despite all of them being the sub-plots of the film as well!
After delivering thrillers that feed on either brilliantly choreographed stunts or intensely written dialogues, Tehran delivers a thriller that takes its inspiration from a compelling story rather than random gunshots and flying cars!
The winner for Tehran is its raw and real portrayal as the film moves from India and travels to Tehran! Arun Gopalan knows the stakes in such a geopolitical thriller, and he makes no wrong move from the first frame to the end! He wins in building a brooding, dangerous atmosphere that aligns with the diplomatic situation of the film. Tanishk Bagchi’s music sets the tone for the film very aptly. The action sequences are well-choreographed, but they never overshadow the film’s central theme of being a diplomatic thriller. In fact, the balance is phenomenal, and the director needs all the applause for the same!
The only flaw for the film would be your unawareness or lack of knowledge regarding the geopolitical situation between India-Iran and Israel. Meanwhile, to keep the struggle authentic the film does most of the conversation in Farsi, the spoken language of Iran, which might act as a barrier despite the film providing proper subtitles!
Tehran Movie Review: The Last Word
Tehran is a masterclass on how to deliver Deshbhakti without lehraa-oing Tiranga or chanting Jai Hind on the Independence Day! It celebrates the unsung heroes, who are mostly abandoned by their countries for being on missions that are either off-paper or not approved at all!
Whenever John Abraham is an alone man on a mission, he comes out with a brilliant result—be it Madras Cafe or Tehran. With its intelligent script, the film becomes an absolute must-watch for anyone who appreciates quality storytelling and has the patience to research on international relationships and politics before diving into the film.
4 stars!
Tehran Trailer
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