This Independence Day, the Indian OTT landscape is witnessing a surge of patriotic thrillers, but John Abraham’s Tehran is already looking like standout material among the upcoming releases. While projects like Saare Jahan Se Accha (Netflix) and Salakaar (JioHotstar) anchor their narratives around the familiar India–Pakistan rivalry and nuclear threats emerging from across the border, Tehran ventures into a more nuanced and less-explored geopolitical terrain.
Both Indian OTT and Bollywood have been using (and milking, in some cases) the long-standing India–Pakistan dynamic. Indian creators know that audiences respond strongly to stories with Pakistan as the primary antagonist. From classic war dramas to modern espionage tales, this narrative arc has been a reliable, though often overused, formula for invoking national pride.
However, Tehran breaks this mold by shifting focus to other territories, notably Israel and Iran, which is refreshing to see. The film is directly inspired by the real-life 2012 bomb blast near the Israeli embassy in Delhi, an incident that entangled India, Israel, and Iran.
The film’s premise feels not only refreshing but also intriguing, as it immediately elevates the story beyond a simple bilateral conflict. Moreover, the leading man, John Abraham, appears to be in fine form. He excels at playing hardened characters with grit and realism.
Abraham plays a police officer-turned-operative who isn’t just fighting a single enemy nation. Instead, he’s caught in a web of international intrigue, where allegiances are blurred and loyalties are suspect. He is a suspect in his own country, hunted by Iran, and working with Israel, creating a far more complex and gripping narrative than a conventional spy-vs-spy plot.
While Saare Jahan Se Accha and Salakaar are compelling in their own right, they stick to a more conventional, though well-executed format. The former is a classic 1970s-era spy thriller (starring Pratik Gandhi), celebrating the unsung heroes of R&AW against their ISI counterparts. Meanwhile, Salakaar (led by Naveen Kasturia), with its dual timelines, revolves around a mission to neutralize a Pakistani nuclear facility.
The narratives of these two upcoming shows offer a powerful but more traditional and straightforward tribute to India’s intelligence agencies.
In contrast, Tehran feels more brutal, bloody, gritty, realistic, and emotionally charged. It captures the raw brutality of terrorism and doesn’t shy away from engaging with the moral ambiguities of global politics.
The film also challenges the simplistic “good versus evil” narrative often seen in the genre, instead asking a deeper, more hard-hitting question: what happens when a patriot is forced to choose between his country and his humanity?
Based on Tehran’s latest trailer, the upcoming John Abraham starrer appears to center more on a personal conflict than an agency-level mission. All of these elements make Tehran a compelling and standout entry in this year’s Independence Day lineup. Stay tuned for more updates.