The Diplomat Movie Review: John Abraham Does Justice To The Story!! 🙌🏻🙌🏻

We all must have complained at some point that Bollywood only makes action movies, half of which are illogical, or the same old worn-out romantic comedies. Some time ago, the craze was for cinematic universes, then horror comedies. But amidst all these, very rarely does a movie come along that you wouldn’t believe came from Bollywood because it’s so understated, no flashy, over-the-top heroics or dialogues. It’s a realistic film that looks good to watch. But when such a movie is made, what happens? The theatres remain almost empty and the film only earns ₹53.56 Cr on a budget of ₹25-30 Cr.

The movie is called The Diplomat, produced by John Abraham, who is also the lead actor. Before the movie started, I didn’t know much about it. Personally, I didn’t have high expectations from this film. But as soon as the first shot came, it felt like this could be something interesting, something different to watch. The movie starts with a long disclaimer, at least two minutes. And I’m not talking about the usual disclaimers that never seem to end, but an actual two minutes which feels really long. You can try this yourself: set a stopwatch on your phone and imagine waiting for 120 seconds of disclaimers before the film begins. The disclaimers explain that the makers did not intend certain things, they did not do this or that, because the film is based on a true story. The entire film is set inside Pakistan, specifically in the Indian embassy there. In the beginning, two men with guns, accompanied by a woman fully covered, are shown entering the Indian embassy.

One man tells the woman to hurry up. The way this whole scene was built, it lasted about five minutes but felt so intense that my sixth sense was telling me that a bomb blast or attack might happen because even though it’s the Indian embassy, it’s still inside Pakistan. I won’t tell you what happens next in detail as I hope you watch the film yourself. But The Diplomat revolves around an Indian woman who went to Pakistan by her own choice but was forcibly held there, married off, and subjected to violence and abuse. The story raises many questions: is the woman telling the truth? Could she be a Pakistani agent who infiltrated the embassy, or an Indian agent trying to escape? And reaching the embassy doesn’t guarantee safety; it’s not like you’re flown out by helicopter. There’s a long process involving the government, legal system, ISI, and the person who held her captive can openly brandish guns. How will they all react?

First of all, John Abraham deserves praise for deciding to make this film. I watch about a hundred movies in theatres every year, and very few are of this kind. To make such a film and release it in theatres, while also playing a role that doesn’t involve fighting like his character doesn’t even fire a gun or hit anyone is commendable. If you get action, it’s only in small parts. My dear friends, if you’ve noticed, the film’s title is The Diplomat. The woman wants to come from Pakistan to India, but the focus isn’t just on her. Although the main story is her’s, the real hand behind everything is that of the lone diplomat. This means there are lengthy sections where you won’t even see John Abraham because the story is centered on Uzma Ahmed. For this character, Sadiya Khateeb’s performance impressed me a lot. The writing for her character is excellent, with attention to small details like the marks on her face, which are visible if you watch closely. There’s even a bomb blast scene where you can see John Abraham’s character’s eyebrows twitching. One thing this movie does very well is building tension.

The Diplomat is a great example of how to keep the audience engaged and anticipating what will happen next. Your heart races sitting in the theatre, and there’s no need for big action sequences, high VFX, bomb blasts, or gunfights. By the end of the film, only one question remains in everyone’s mind: will she be able to return or not? There’s no secret mission where John Abraham sneaks out at night to assassinate someone. All diplomatic matters are out in the open, yet how do you stop him from doing his job? Another thing that surprised me is that whenever a film is made about India-Pakistan, a very essential part is to prove patriotism through dialogues. Movies always do this because it connects with the audience, but often it feels forced or unearned. But I was really shocked and surprised at how well this film controls that aspect. No character shouts or tries to prove their patriotism with over-the-top dialogues. Such moments are very few but when they come, they hit very well. The same goes for action, it’s extremely minimal. A big credit goes to Director Shivam Nair, who previously directed Naam Shabana and co-directed the web series Special Ops.

The writer, Ritesh Shah, has written for Commandos, City Lights, Rocky Handsome, Pink, Red, and many other movies. His strong portfolio is evident in the efficient writing of this film. Some scenes stuck in my mind because of the way the character was established. For example, the woman says, “If you want to get me out, take me through the back way. I don’t want to go through the front.” John Abraham’s character replies, “We’ve already checked the front entrance; now we must check the back too.” They treat every situation like spies, considering that the woman might be checking the layout inside. There’s no song in the movie like not even a single one. And even if there was, it wouldn’t feel like the movie is pausing or shifting focus. The film cleverly throws one problem after another at the characters, making you think one issue is solved, but then another arises.

Since I had no expectations, I was pleasantly surprised. The movie is nearly perfect- not a masterpiece, with small imperfections here and there, but making such a film itself is a very big deal. So, if you have free time this weekend and want to watch a good movie then watch The Diplomat on Netflix. And if you have already seen it, please share your thoughts in the comments below. I would give this film a rating if 3.5 stars out of 5 for its acting performances, direction, dialogues and way of storytelling.