John Abraham starrer and Shivam Nair directorial political thriller ‘The Diplomat’ dropped on Netflix India a few days ago after having exhausted its theatrical window. The film did decently at the box office but the kind of acclaim it is getting on its digital debut does not match its commercial performance.
People are loving Abraham’s nuanced portrayal of a bureaucrat in ‘The Diplomat’ where he doesn’t resort to over-the-top action he is famously known for. The ensemble cast including Sadia Khateeb and Sharib Hashmi are also getting praised for their stellar performances.
Moreover, viewers are thrilled by ‘The Diplomat’s gripping narrative and emotional depth. The critics had mentioned of the film’s brilliance upon its theatrical release as well but still the film could not pull as much crowd as it should have.
So who’s the culprit here? Why did a good film like ‘The Diplomat’ not realise its full potential in theatres?
To be honest, a lot of it has to do with the abysmal marketing and promotions done by the makers. Some analysts have even cited that the film having an English title too resulted in a feeling of disconnect in smaller centres of the country where it could have done much better but apparently missed the opportunity.
Well, what’s done is done and the lesson to learn here is that even great content needs robust marketing to shine on the big screen. ‘The Diplomat’s theatrical fate serves as a cautionary tale for makers who must realise what happens when you underestimate the power of promotions/marketing.