What Is the Story About?
In a bomb blast near the Israeli embassy in Delhi, a six-year-old Indian girl is killed. The blasts coincide with the death of two diplomats in other parts of the globe. Rajeev Kumar, Vijay and Divya, cops from the Special Cell, are out to catch the culprit, Afshar Hosseini, even if it means risking the cancellation of an international gas deal, pressure from superiors to call off the covert operation.
Performances?
John Abraham’s not new to slipping into the shoes of an officer bound by duty; it’s a role and a film tailor-made for him. His agility, body language and restraint help his cause, though the redundancy in his choices dampens the impact considerably. He could do more to loosen up. Manushi Chhillar delivers the goods with a neat, focused performance. She leaves no scope for a false note.
Madhurima Tuli, Neeru Bajwa and Dinker Sharma chip in efficiently in well-crafted roles. Alyy Khan is an apt choice as John’s on-screen superior. The international actors, Hadi Khanjanpour (as Afshar Hosseini), and Adam Karst (as Tamir) leave a lasting impression, too.
Analysis
John Abraham has gone a bit too far in matters of national security, social issues and international affairs lately, either playing a saviour, cop or an officer gone rogue, ranging from his appearances in Attack to Pathaan to The Diplomat and Vedaa. While there’s nothing essentially wrong with his choices, the burden of being a man in uniform takes a toll on him in his largely well-made thriller Tehran, directed by Arun Gopalan, now out on ZEE5.
Tehran is a story of Rajeev Kumar, a cop who goes too far in his pursuit of justice, so much that he remains unwanted by three nations – India, Iran and Israel. The drama kicks off after a bomb blast in Delhi, where an Indian child is collateral damage. Twin attacks on diplomats in other countries create a tense situation. Rajeev, his colleagues don’t take much time to trace the mastermind Afshar Hosseini. With a crucial gas deal at stake, there’s pressure to call off the hunt.
A man, who essentially wants to do the right thing and values his conscience over his loyalty to superiors, suddenly becomes the villain. His aides give up on him, and the men above him just want to close the matter as a face-saving act on a global forum. As far as the story is concerned, Rajeev is the good guy (labelled a rebel) who’s out to settle scores with a baddie, while ensuring that there’s no blood on his hands (thereby keeping his home nation out of the equation).
While the narrative is fairly straightforward, it establishes the complexities involving cross-border operations and the sensitivity around international diplomacy, so much so that the line between right and wrong is blurred. As you’d expect in a film around espionage, undercover operations, there’s adequate emphasis on the edginess in an officer’s life, who constantly has close shaves with death, as the families suffer the repercussions.
What’s heartening about a film like Tehran, which takes on pressing concerns of the world, is its rootedness; it consistently manages to be personal. The focus on the bigger issues notwithstanding, you see men wanting the simpler things in life, being sensitive to work, those around them and family. At the same time, it is careful about not drowning in its sentimentality, doing just enough to alternate between the slick action and human drama, maintaining a pacy screenplay.
On a plot level, Tehran is a story (by Bindni Karia) that had to be told, yes, but the treatment could’ve been more accessible, with some spoon-feeding for an average viewer unaware of its geo-political context. The muddled narration hinders the momentum of the film in parts, even though you have a broad understanding of the proceedings. However, it moves quickly from one episode to the other that the glitches appear trivial by the end.
Tehran is a crisp action thriller with a riveting premise, brought alive by the sharp performances and the technical precision in the execution.
Music and Other Departments?
The ambient score, by Ketan Sodha, richly contributes to the precision in the storytelling, ably backed by Tanishk Bagchi. The stylistic action choreography is one of the film’s major assets. The cinematography (by Ievgen Gubrenko, Andre Menezes), while tracing the journey of a protagonist predominantly on the move, is impressive. The editing is sharp and the dialogues are focused, not beating around the bush.
Highlights?
Unique premise
Impressive action segments
Pacy storytelling
Drawbacks?
Narrative gets ambiguous at times
Character establishment could’ve been stronger
Did I Enjoy It?
Generally, yes
Will You Recommend It?
If you’re in the mood for a no-nonsense action thriller, don’t think twice
Tehran Movie Review by Binged Bureau
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