Tehran Review: John Abraham and Manushi Chhillar run an espionage playbook that’s long past expiry

Tehran Review: John Abraham and Manushi Chhillar Run an espionage playbook that’s long past expiry

Tehran Movie Review

Tehran

Tehran Review: Officer Rajeev Kumar aka RK (John Abraham) is deeply hurt and angered after a blast in Delhi kills a teenage girl who happens to be right next to the car in which the bomb is planted. RK now wants to avenge her murder, and the mastermind of the blast is in Tehran. He sketches a plan to penetrate into the terrorist syndicate in Tehran and take down the mastermind, avoiding the many risks that the country is right now looking at. But he is stuck in the politics between the countries where Iran wants him dead, Israel ditches him, and India abandons him midway. Will the soldier return home? Will he be able to avenge the killing of the little girl?

Tehran Review:

Patriotism as a trope in Indian cinema is not going through a very good time as we speak. What starts as a message to love the country soon becomes a vehicle to hate, and that is something that is common between a lot of films that have been released in the recent past. Add to that, there are just a handful of blueprints the filmmakers have been following when it comes to making these movies. So when John Abraham announced Tehran an espionage thriller with a dash of patriotism close to two years ago from now, the hopes were levelled too high. Today, as the movie hits the streaming world through Z5, one question: was this needed? While there is enough to counter jingoism in recent films and a better way of approaching stories about love for the country, there is more that makes one question the need for this film at this point.

Tehran is about a soldier who feels for his nation and the people around him and can go to any extent to make sure that both are safe. RK is almost the definition of a perfect human and can do no wrong. The movie, written by Ritesh Shah with Ashish P. Verma and directed by Arun Gopalan, chooses a blueprint that is way past its expiry at this point. This is not something you have not already seen, and there is nothing new to hook you in as the film begins. Yes, the heart of Tehran is in the right place, but that is not enough because the body that the heart is pumping for is very weak.

The best part about Tehran is the fact that it does not surrender to widely applauded jingoism dressed as patriotism and makes sure that it never shapes the enemy as a clown. The conflict is rooted in real-world deals, border disputes, and unrest between the countries. People are talking about allies and deals that are at least logical. The movie at no point is telling you, as a viewer, to pick up arms and go fight with someone. But all of this is not supported by a strong story because you have seen this happen a whole lot of times.

Count the number of times you have seen this trajectory in the last couple of years: A soldier who is extremely loyal to the country, is brilliant at his job, doesn't take orders, doesn't care about the protocol, makes his own way, has a wife and children back home, the wife is angry about his not giving time to his family, goes on a mission, does the riskiest things, only to win. This right here is the entire script of Tehran. A little more, nothing less. The movie is not even trying to be different from the many that have come before it, and that is the biggest problem with this John Abraham starrer.

Also Read: Tehran on OTT: Release date, what to expect, cast, and more to know about the geopolitical action thriller

For instance, the screenplay is so random that it takes leaps of faith from one end to another without making sure that the transition from one sequence to the next is smooth. Things happen and lead to more things, and you, as an audience, are watching it with no thrill. For a movie that is about an espionage mission where one man is against an entire syndicate, the crescendo is supposed to be crazy, but it is a flat line here mostly, and that is really bothersome. The motivation in Tehran is so unclear that there is no way the viewer is investing.

John Abraham, who is the only convinced person in the room, plays Rajeev with the same stoic face that he has played his last few characters with. While it fits the bill for some part, it feels repetitive in most. Manushi Chillar, with the most unnatural-looking wig, just exists in the story like her part was cut down on the edit table. She comes in randomly, exits even more randomly, and no one cares after a point that she was also a part of this very popular mission.

Tehran Review: Final Verdict

Tehran is certainly not jingoism disguised as patriotism, but it is also not a strong enough screenplay that can evoke what it aspires to. It is clueless, repetitive, and mostly the same old blueprint that we have seen numerous times.

Tehran is now streaming on Z5, and you can watch it with your OTTplay Premium subscription. Stay tuned to OTTplay for more such reviews and everything else from the world of streaming and films.

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Cast and Crew

Neeru Bajwa