Tehran: John Abraham's Much-Delayed Film Skips Theatres, Heads To OTT; Disappointed Fans React

News18

4 days ago

John Abraham's Tehran, initially set for a 2023 release, will now premiere on OTT during the Independence Day week. The actors fans are disappointed with the move.
John Abraham's Tehran was slated for release in 2023. However, the film is finally set to release after a long haul. The actor, who generally prefers a theatre release for his films, surprised fans by announcing a direct OTT release for his film. While a section of fans shared their excitement, others expressed their disappointment at the OTT release of John's film. The film also stars Manushi Chhillar.
John Abraham's Tehran has been in the making for a while now. The film was initially set for release in 2023; however, it appears that the film will finally release this year. On July 31, the makers of Tehran revealed that John's upcoming geopolitical action-thriller will premiere on Zee5 via OTTplay Premium during the Independence Day week.
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John Abraham fans took to the comment section and expressed their displeasure at Tehran's OTT release. They wrote, 'OTT Release", 'Action Abraham is Back", 'Kyun bhai . Aap toh kehte the ki Mai direct OTT release kabhi Nahi karunga", 'Why not releasing in theater", 'Why ott ???", 'Need it in big screen", 'Release in Cinema", 'This should be released in the theatres".
A Bollywood Hungama report had previously revealed the reason behind opting for OTT release for Tehran. It said, 'Tehran has a run time of less than two hours and moreover, it's not just a Hindi language film. To maintain authenticity, certain dialogues are also in Farsi and English. Hence, the makers realised that it would suit the OTT medium more." The makers are yet to confirm the same.
Interestingly, John Abraham recently spoke about why he is content staying on the big screen for now, with no interest in diving into the world of web series. He told Hindustan Times, 'To do OTT, you need a very big office setup. You need a lot of people working towards something, where you don't even own the IP of. You make a commission from the series and that goes into your overheads. Anybody who's doing OTT today, they'll tell you absolutely the same thing. So, I don't see sense in breaking sweat on doing these series."
That said, he's open to the idea,badmitting that if a compelling series comes his way and sparks his interest as a producer, he wouldn't hesitate to get on board. 'I would love to because I want to tell that story, not because I want to make a business model out of it. So, that's one reason why I'm not doing this as a producer yet."
When asked if he would ever act in OTT, the actor responds, 'Never say never, but at this point of time, I do not want to come on OTT as an actor for a series or an original film. I want to come on the big screen. In my head, I believe I was made for the big screen. I have a lot of respect for OTT channels because most of the content, at least internationally, and so much of the Indian content like Paatal Lok is outstanding. I have so much of respect for the space, but I don't see myself yet in it."
What is John Abraham's Tehran about?
Tehran is a high-stakes Hindi action-thriller headlined by John Abraham and Manushi Chhillar. Inspired by true events and set against the backdrop of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, the film delves into the shifting sands of international politics. It is directed by Arun Gopalan and backed by producers Dinesh Vijan, Sandeep Leyzell, and Shobhna Yadav, with a screenplay penned by Ritesh Shah and Ashish Prakash Verma.
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First Published:
July 31, 2025, 16:34 IST
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