Introduction
While I reviewed his previous film The Diplomat, and mentioned how John Abraham plays roles, whose characters seem to be aligned with Abraham's straight-faced, low on emotion personality, I did not have an idea that this film was just four months away, and John would play a very similar role there as well. A spy thriller.. based on true events.. John playing an emotionless person.. this is what he did in The Diplomat, and Tehran is just a close cousin. Initially planned to release on the Republic Day weekend in 2023, Tehran was pushed ahead for an indefinite period to avert clashing with his own film, Pathaan. This makers surprisingly decided to skip the theatrical route, and after watching the film, I can say that their decision wasn't too correct. Apart from John Abraham, Tehran stars Manushi Chhillar and Dinkar Sharma in the lead roles, with Alyy Khan and Neeru Bajwa playing supporting roles.
Basic Plot
ACP Rajeev Kumar, a Delhi Special Cell officer, gets entangled in an international case with a personal vendetta, and there's no going back.
Positives
Approach, Performances, and Technicalities
I pretty much liked the perspective of director Arun Gopalan here. For majority of the parts the film is treated quite realistically, and while some quirky bits are surely prevalent through-out; the withdrawn visual aesthetics, absence of flashy stunts, and a somber tone helps keep up with the overall approach. The 'spy' nature of the film is well balanced with several screenplay elements arranged decently to give you the intended feel, and so is the political nature of the film. The 'all by himself' theme that the trailer teased us is nicely justified with political interests, conflicts, business deals, and other matters coming into play, which subtly shows us how terrorist activities are simply written off by governments if a response planned for the same affects business and huge recurring profits. The geo-political mood of the film feels very relevant in 2025 which is further augmented by the inclusion of characters, namely; government officials, people from Embassies, intelligence agencies, and others.
The decision to film at real locations across the country of Iran has proven to be a genuinely good call by director Gopalan, as it keeps up with the film's grounded nature. There are quite a few hand-held shots and single take sequences especially during the action which feel good to watch, without being excessively dazzling. The fast cuts and a similar editing pattern is prevalent through-out the film that assists the pacy nature of the story, and thus, the technicalities go quite in sync with the screenplay; maximizing the fun quotient.
Underwhelming Aspects
Character Developments and Emotional connect
Besides the exciting bits, there are some underwhelming sides to this film as well- the primary one being a lack of character development. On paper, this film has plenty of scenes that deal with quite a significant number of characters, where emotions should be the first priority to begin with, but things do not really end up like that. I know John Abraham is known for playing characters with limited expressions, but that doesn't mean he would be a full-blown robot. His character has absolutely zero emotional depth, and this entire thing becomes all the more ironic as his character is shown to have chosen this mission out of an 'emotional shock'.. seriously ? One character dies.. John hallucinates them.. and then he's like: 'enough with this crybaby thing', and is back in action. Moreover, the character whose life trajectory is shown to bring Abraham into the plot is very underdeveloped and, thus, is too negligible for a catalyst to this life-threatening, non-sanctioned mission. Talking about life threats, this film absolutely rubbishes any possible vulnerability of Abraham's character. He's said to be disowned by his own country and deserted by his allies, and yet he seems to easily figure out alleys he's never been to, befriend people he's never met, and easily complete his mission without making his own hands dirty. There are dialogues that give the mission weightage, but when it actually unfolds, the gravitas are nowhere to be seen. Characters apart from Abraham have been given spaces, but not prioritization, and hence, things narrow down only on certain aspects that aren't really executed flawlessly. This sheer difference between the ideas on paper and their portrayal on screen is what pulls this film down to a certain extent.
Conclusion
Tehran is undeniably John Abraham's solo act. His presence, action, and act really does elevate the film. Tehran also benefits from strong technicalities, realistic action, and investigative aspects, which could've kept the audience entirely engaged if the emotions did not play a spoilsport. Generic emotional angles without much character development work well for commercial films, and this is where director Gopalan went wrong. The treatment of this film wasn't commercial, and so, regular emotional depth was not going to be enough. I could've made my peace with the average soul that this film has, but the fact that this film starts on a note that emphasizes emotions, eyebrows are bound to be raised. This, coupled with too many characters and lack of simplification, can make this film difficult to follow for some, which will cut short the entertainment quotient for sure. The climax is a bit off by the way, and some of the viewers may find the final act to be strictly decent, but for me, it was oddly satisfying. 'Iran wants to kill him, Israel has ditched him, and India has deserted him'— this is what John Abraham has got himself into, and to watch him get out of this quicksand, watch Tehran.
Watch Out For
- Strong Technical Aspects
- Action
- John Abraham
WTF Rating
7/10