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Indian Express
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Tehran movie review: This John Abraham-starrer is a compelling spy drama
Tehran review: It's raining spies everywhere you turn, but it's in 'Tehran' that you actually get a sense of what the work entails– it could mean putting in long, hard hours in nondescript offices, and the field operations that are shown as fast-paced car-and-copter-chases in the movies is, in this John Abraham-starrer, mostly about learning how to hide in plain sight, even as the danger of betrayal looms at every step. Abraham plays Rajeev Kumar, an intelligence officer who gets embroiled in the dirty business involving two foreign nations, Israel and Iran, on Indian soil. A blast in New Delhi results in the death of a little girl, a bystander with zero stakes in the long-standing conflict in the Middle East, and RK finds himself moving from the periphery to the centre. It's no longer about the job; it is now personal. The unravelling of the conspiracy, with the help of his team-mates Shailaja, Divya, Vijay (Neeru Bajwa, Manushi Chillar, Dinker Sharma) takes him from jousting with officials (Aly Khan, Quashik Mukherjee) in the Capital's power corridors, to the streets of Tehran. Some suspects are rounded up and tortured– some of these scenes are brutal but matter-of-fact, business-as-usual to get crucial information out. The plot, in trying to uncover the connections between the conspirators in Iran and Israel, does get confused and choppy in places. There is, for example, a horrifying sequence where an old man (whom we later learn is a rabbi) is mutilated and hammered to death with the murderer wearing a thin plastic overcoat to save his clothes from the blood. There's a slogan about Palestine scrawled on the wall behind him, with many other lines beneath. The film is set in 2012, when the car bomb goes off, and in the credits we see the line, 'inspired by true events'. But the fact that it's out now, with the Gaza conflict at its peak, is one of those coincidences that even the movies cannot dream up. It tells us that the Middle East has been on the boil for a long time: at this moment, an end doesn't seem to be in sight, but after this incident, the warring nations have taken their dirty business off Indian soil. That's what 'Tehran' leaves us with. What Abraham, whose impassivity helps his character feel as real as it can when done with reel-drama (Chillar's jagged hair-cut is very stylish, and not just for a spy), manages to pull off here is noteworthy. Interesting faces make up the ensemble. Characters In Tehran speak in Farsi, with subtitles below; he himself uses the language briefly with a degree of fluidity. And while it takes some time to warm up, the film finds its moral centre in the violent death of a spy: yes, it happened, and yes, it was while they were on duty, but it can leave a teammate stunned, and another can just hand out a pat on the shoulder, while fully understanding and sharing that pain, because the operation is still underway. Also Read | War 2 movie review: Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR, Kiara Advani spy saga is so limp, you're left looking for zing This sequence made the movie for me. As did a tear running unobtrusively down RK's eye. Spies die for their country and each death leaves an absence. Tehran movie cast: John Abraham, Neeru Bajwa, Manushi Chillar, Madhurima Tuli, Aly Khan, Quashik Mukherjee, Dinker Sharma, Hadi Khanjanpour Tehran movie director: Arun Gopalan Tehran movie rating: Two and a half stars
Hindustan Times
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
The Diplomat actor Sadia Khateeb on being an outsider: If I am not given an opportunity, how will I prove myself?
While her debut happened with the 2020 release Shikara, it was this year's John Abraham-starrer The Diplomat that brought Sadia Khateeb to the limelight. However, she hasn't yet processed the impact of the film. 'I haven't got the time to sink it yet. I just know that I'm very busy lately. I'm continuously shooting and that's the best thing,' the actor says. Sadia Khateeb(Photo: Instagram) While she does feel happy about the love she has gotten, especially after the film's audience increased post its OTT release, Sadia Khateeb admits that she can't relax just yet. She says, 'I've just started out and I'm only three films old now. I just feel that I have a lot more in me to deliver, and you are only as talented as the opportunities coming your way. If I'm not given an opportunity, how would I prove myself? I just wish I can do more.' The 27-year-old adds that being an outsider, the appreciation comes with a sense of fear too. 'When people say something good, it gives me a sense of happiness, but it brings a lot of nervousness as well about when is the next opportunity coming where I'll be able to deliver better. How will I be able to show them that I'm better than what you have seen in the past three films as that will only happen if another opportunity will come. I cannot sit back and relax,' she says. In her three films, Sadia has worked with the bigwigs of the industry—Vidhu Vinod Chopra directed her debut film Shikara, she co-starred with Akshay Kumar in Raksha Bandhan (2022) and The Diplomat had her alongside actor John Abraham. Still, she has had to struggle to get good offers. But she looks at it practically: 'I did my debut in the most uncertain time. Right after Shikara released, it was COVID. Then Raksha Bandhan released during the second wave of COVID. The Diplomat is actually my first non-COVID release, so I cannot expect a lot of things to happen. But there are a lot of people who have done a lot of work even during that time.' The actor adds, 'I feel that ours is a very uncertain and destiny-driven profession. What is in your destiny will happen to you. I still don't know if tomorrow, I'll get another work, or where will I get my next paycheck from. It took more than a year for The Diplomat to come out, even with such big names backing it. So, all my calculations have failed because in our industry, nobody knows what works. The best thing you can do at that point is see if the work coming your way touches your heart. If it does, do it.' She even has a wishlist: 'I wish I can get a YRF or a Maddock film. I desperately wish that but till the time they don't come to me, until the time they don't see the potential in me, I have to keep working. I have to make my living and I have to keep satisfying my creative soul, and for that whatever nice work comes my way or whatever touches my heart, I must do,' she ends.
Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
John Abraham reveals why is he not coming on OTT: It is not worth breaking…
John Abraham-starrer The Diplomat recently made its way to OTT and has been getting appreciation from all over. The film performed well in theatres too on its release in March, but got a wider audience with its OTT release. The web medium has become the go-to platform with even the biggest stars entering the space today. However, the actor has no plans to foray into the space any time soon. Explaining why, John Abraham says, '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.' Although, he admits that if he comes across a good series that appeals to him to produce, he'd take it up: '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.' But what about foraying in the web space as an actor? "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,' he responds.
Time of India
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
John Abraham's 'The Diplomat' to arrive on OTT tomorrow
After performing well at the box office, John Abraham-starrer 'The Diplomat' is now all set to kick-start its digital journey. Directed by Shivam Nair , 'The Diplomat' will be out on Netflix on May 9. Sharing the update, the streaming giant on Instagram wrote, "Mark your calendars. The Diplomat arrives on 9 May, on Netflix." Recently, in a conversation with ANI, Abraham shared what drew him to the film, describing it as an "emotional, edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller" rather than just another patriotic story. Operation Sindoor Operation Sindoor: Several airports in India closed - check full list Did Pak shoot down Indian jets? What MEA said India foils Pakistan's attack on Jammu airport: What we know so far He said, "I didn't do the film just because it's patriotic; I did it because it's an emotional, edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller." Comparing it to the film Argo, the actor added, "It's like a film called Argo. If you watch that film, it's a true story about the US Embassy in Iran and how they had to get people out. You won't move when you watch that film; you'll just be glued to your seat. That feeling is what I got from The Diplomat." The Diplomat is produced by Bhushan Kumar & Krishan Kumar (T-Series), John Abraham (JA Entertainment), Vipul D Shah, Ashwin Varde, Rajesh Bahl (Wakaoo Films), and Sameer Dixit, Jatish Varma, Rakesh Dang (Fortune Pictures/Seeta Films). Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . And don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
