The Diplomat

The Diplomat Movie Review Rating:

Star Cast: John Abraham, Sadia Khateeb, Revathy, Kumud Mishra, Sharib Hashmi and Vidhatri Bandi

Director: Shivam Nair

What’s Good: The director, keeps things real—very real!

What’s Bad: John addicts might find it a tad disappointing, as he only delivers a punch that is not physical but cinematic.

Loo Break: No, no!

Watch or Not?: Yes, this is another in the memorable list of movies on India’s modern history

Language: Hindi

Available On: Theatrical release

Runtime: 137 Minutes

User Rating:

This real story of The Diplomat is set in 2017, when an Indian girl, Uzma Ahmed (Sadia Khateeb), is inveigled by a Pakistani, Tahir (Jagjeet Sandhu), into crossing the Wagah border. But this cute-looking man she meets in Malaysia on a trip is a blackguard of the worst degree, which she discovers when she is taken to Buner, a fearsome part of Pakistan that is not even frequented by Pakistanis. Her travails begin there as she is beaten, s*xually assaulted, and more, before being forced into a nikaah with Tahir even though he has many kids from at least two more wives. Uzma has a daughter in India who needs medical treatment, which was the temptation Tahir had offered.

Everything indeed seems hopeless until a chance to call her Malaysian friends makes her realize that going to the Indian Embassy is her only chance of escape. She manages to do that by fooling Tahir and his constant companion, Bashir (Muzamil Bhawani), with the prospect of getting money. After checking (and how!) her credentials, the Deputy Commissioner, J.P. Singh (John Abraham), does the unthinkable—he gives her succor within the embassy and takes up her case, discussing it with Sushma Swaraj (Revathy), the Indian Minister for External Affairs.

It is a long-drawn battle, but Uzma finally reaches India.

The Diplomat Movie Review: Script Analysis

Veteran writer Ritesh Shah does one of his best work here. He keeps everything real except for some minimal fictionalization that every sensible viewer can sense. Many of the most worrying and alarming scenes have really happened, and there are first-person versions (after talks with Uzma and J.P. Singh) that have been translated into sequences.

The courtroom invaded by the Pakistani insurgents, the way the benevolent Pakistani advocate (Kumud Mishra) fights the case, how J.P. does not take anything for granted, and the ferociousness of Seerat (Vidhatri Bandi) are all real, refreshingly and often frighteningly real. The film also exposes the disrespect for the law that is so common in Pakistan’s ethos.

The initial horrendous circumstances that Uzma finds herself in are terrifyingly brutal examples of depraved humanity. Shah’s script and dialogues are thus searingly disturbing.

The Diplomat Movie Review: Star Performance

Sadia Khateeb, last seen as one of Akshay Kumar’s sisters in Raksha Bandhan, gives a heart-wrenching account of the real person (whose glimpse is shown at the end) who suffered these ignominies. Her expressive eyes tell a poignant story of her suffering. John Abraham is pitch-perfect as the determined J.P. Singh, who also has a family, including a curious son. Jagjeet Sandhu as Tahir is excellent, and so is Muzammil Bhawani as Bashir. 

But Sharib Hashmi, I felt, is wasted. Revathy, in the all-important role of Sushma Swaraj, is superb, while Vidhatri Bandi steals the show as Seerat. Kumud Mishra is delightful in his short role, as is Farheen Prabhakar in an even briefer cameo as his wife. Ashwath Bhatt is correctly sly and ruthless as Mallik from the ISI.