Geopolitics: A Game of Chess

Geopolitics is intriguing - friends become foes and vice versa, all at the mere drop of one event, however big or small. Like chess where pawns are the first line of defence, the colossal weight of a leadership regime is borne by groups of unnamed, unknown and unrecognized individuals on their shoulders. They work tirelessly in the shadows to secure its 'interests', all at the expense of every personal cost you can think of!

But like chess, pawns are expendable - their lives are defined and bound to serve a larger purpose of executing 'the gameplay'. Tehran is a story on such pawns - separated by borders, flags or languages but living a similar life, either by chance or choice.

The Man Behind the Badge

Let's delve into the plotline now. ACP Rajeev Kumar (John Abraham) is a seasoned cop working with Delhi Police, who is happy to break a few protocols or procedures as long as he's in the right. Although the narration might suggest that he's unhinged, he doesn't carry around too many demons in his head despite the downsides that come in his line of work. 

Rajeev is well closeted when it comes to keeping his emotions in check, but as the plot progresses we often see his inner sensitive self getting the better of him. There are multiple layers to his personality - he doesn't shy away from using torture as a means to extract intel, but at the same time is remarkably good making kids feel at home.   

The Supporting Cast

He's got able allies in his subordinates, SIs Vijay Solanki (Dinkar Sharma) and Divya Rana (Manushi Chillar). Although Vijay's primary role appears to be adding some extra brawn to the team (he's typecast as a Haryanvi?), he does juggle the rigor of his duty well with a supposedly screwed up personal life that isn't explored any further. 

Divya is shown to be a woman of few words, and is always busy hustling on field work for Rajeev, no questions asked (millennial trait much?). There is not much to look into her character, except for the fact that Vijay and she seem to get along well despite visible gaps in their persona. All hail the confines of WLB.

Peripheral Players

Moving on to other peripheral characters, Rajeev's boss, DCP Neeraj (Alyy Khan) is a desk jockey who brings in equal energy into casework and running errands for his higher ups. He's smart enough to gauge Rajeev's purported strengths and gives him a free hand to the extent possible while managing stakeholder expectations.

Sheilaja (Neeru Bajwa) enacts her role decently well as a RAW agent, although her character could have been shaped with a bit more conviction. The plot subtly indicates that Rajeev and she share a long-running work history. Vandana (Madhurima Tuli) is Rajeev's wife and barely has a couple of scenes.

Other than the femme fatale Layla (Elnaaz Norouzi), the story also introduces a few Iranian characters Afshar Hosseini (Hadi Khanjanpour) and Mahmoud Alavi (Farhad Kholgi) who play their bits without complaint. 

Morality vs. Machinery

Tehran leaves you with a question of whether it's okay for a law enforcement officer to be personally invested in doing the right thing, even at the cost of being disavowed. Geopolitical themes such as clash of commerce with national security, Indo-Iranian and Indo-Israel dynamics are explored with deft precision. 

Execution and Experience

The plot kicks off dimensionally and maintains a decent pace throughout its run-time. Whatever limited VFX used feels dated as if we are in early 2010s (exactly the timeline when the story is set). Camerawork is good, dialogue is apt and the soundtrack won't make you hum.

All in all, a decent one time watch if this is up your alley.