Tehran review: A patriotic thriller that runs on an expired blueprint

Rating: 2/5

Arun Gopalan’s Tehran, starring John Abraham, enters the OTT space on Z5 with the promise of an espionage thriller layered with patriotism. Unfortunately, what unfolds is a familiar template that feels more recycled than refreshing.

The film follows Officer Rajeev Kumar (John Abraham), a soldier emotionally scarred by a tragic blast in Delhi that kills an innocent teenage girl. Determined to avenge her death, RK sets his sights on Tehran, where the mastermind behind the attack resides. But as he dives into the mission, politics complicate his path—Iran wants him dead, Israel abandons him, and even his own country distances itself. The central question looms: can this soldier return home after facing the odds stacked against him?

At its core, Tehran wants to avoid falling into the trap of hyper-nationalistic cinema. Unlike many recent films that confuse patriotism with jingoism, it keeps its conflict grounded in geopolitics, border tensions, and logical alliances. That restraint is commendable—the movie never caricatures its enemies nor urges the audience to blindly adopt hostility. Instead, it tries to remain a real-world espionage tale.

However, the execution is where Tehran falters. The story follows an outdated formula we’ve seen countless times—a loyal soldier who defies orders, balances family drama, takes on a dangerous mission, and inevitably triumphs. The screenplay, penned by Ritesh Shah and Ashish P. Verma, feels fragmented, with abrupt transitions that rob the narrative of any genuine suspense. For a high-stakes spy thriller, the tension never really builds, leaving the viewer unmoved.

John Abraham delivers a performance that leans heavily on his trademark stoicism, which works in certain moments but quickly feels repetitive. Manushi Chhillar, sadly, gets little scope to shine, her role seeming more like an afterthought than a meaningful contribution to the mission.

The biggest letdown lies in the lack of originality. Tehran’s heart may be in the right place—it avoids glorifying war or demeaning its antagonists—but the skeleton of the film is too weak to hold that heart together. What could have been a gripping exploration of loyalty and sacrifice instead becomes another entry in the long list of forgettable patriotic thrillers.

On a whole, Tehran steers clear of hollow jingoism, but its predictable narrative and lack of emotional pull keep it from soaring. Watch it on Z5 if you’re a John Abraham loyalist; otherwise, it may not leave much of an impression.