Review: In ‘Tehran', an Indian police officer inserts himself into the Iran-Israel conflict
In 2012, Iranian agents carry out bomb attacks on Israeli diplomats in three cities, including Delhi. Special Cell unit member Rajeev (John Abraham) is pained by the deaths of Indian bystanders, especially a girl who sells flowers. Rajeev vows that he will not allow terrorists to use India as a staging ground for such attacks. Until their very hands are cut off, nobody will take India seriously, he declares.
Although described by his superiors as 'insane' and a loose cannon, Rajeev has friends in the right places, including Research and Analysis Wing officer Sheilaja (Neeru Bajwa). Accompanied by Divya (Manushi Chhillar) and Vijay (Dinker Sharma), Rajeev embarks on an unsanctioned covert operation to punish the perpetrators of the blast, much to the horror of his boss Neeraj (Alyy Khan) and RAW chief Himadri (Qaushik Mukherjee).
Rajeev's antics could jeopardise a crucial gas deal between India and Iran, so both governments are understandably outraged too. The Israelis, not so much.
While the diplomats officially distance themselves from Rajeev, Mossad thinks he might be useful. After Rajeev is disowned by India and hunted by Iran, an Israeli agent helps him on the sly, a mark of admiration for a man who doesn't follow the rules of combat.
Tehran is purportedly inspired by actual events. Based on a story by Bindni Karia and a screenplay by Karia and Ritesh Shah, the movie wades into a diplomatic quagmire from which it is unable to extricate itself.
The film tries to be wise about and up-to-speed with geopolitics in Asia and the Arab world in the early 2010s. Gritty and fast-paced, with chunks of Farsi dialogue, Tehran attempts to appear authentic but operates in the same realm of fantasy from which emerge tall tales of Indian agents matching the prowess of their Western counterparts.
Tehran is out at a time when Israel's relations with Iran are in tatters and Israel's brutal offensive in Gaza has surpassed all limits of morality. Given the deadly serious realities of the moment, it's hard to care for Rajeev's kill-or-be-killed mentality, his bizarre quest to destroy ties with India's allies, his Rambo-like tendencies, or even his anguish at being abandoned by his government.
Explicit links are made in the film between the Iranian militant Afsar's support for the Palestinian cause and his murder of a rabbi – a 'Free Palestine' banner hangs in the background as Afsar (Hadi Khanjanpour) brutally slays the rabbi. Mossad's decision to use Rajeev is surely this Indian cop's dream come true.
John Abraham plays Rajeev with quiet ferocity – a mien the actor has previously adopted in Batla House and The Diplomat. Among the supporting cast, Alyy Khan and Qaushik Mukherjee are compelling as government officials who do stick to the rules, and with good reason.
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