John Abraham has come a long way from being the long-haired robber in Dhoom. Be it Garam Masala, Madras Cafe, Batla House or Parmaanu, he has essayed a wide range of roles. So when The Diplomat hit the theatres, I could not stop myself from grabbing a tub of popcorn and watching it.
Directed by Shivam Nair, The Diplomat is based on the real story of Uzma Ahmed, the Indian woman rescued by the then-deputy high commissioner to Pakistan JP Singh.
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The Diplomat plot
The movie begins with a burqa-clad woman with two men driving to the Indian embassy in Islamabad. The woman named Uzma rushes to an Indian embassy official seeking repatriation to India. All hell breaks loose when she barges into the embassy office, leaving everyone in shock.
On being confronted by Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh, Uzma claims she was conned by a Pakistani man named Tahir Ali in Malaysia, who convinced her to visit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s tribal-dominated village Buner. Much to her horror, Buner is infested with AK-47 clad warlords, and Tahir is already married. She is forcefully married, tortured and sexually assaulted by her husband.
While Uzma is sheltered in the Indian embassy, her husband Tahir is leaving no stone unturned to get her wife back. JP Singh has a tough nut to crack as a diplomat, as he is stationed in Pakistan. Need I say more? What follows next is the arduous task of bringing Uzma back to India.
The Diplomat cast and crew
The Diplomat is produced by John Abraham, Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Vipul D. Shah, Ashwin Varde, Rajesh Bahl, Samir Dixit, Jatish Varma and Rakesh Dang. The film is helmed by Shivam Nair, whose last release was 2017 thriller Naam Shabana featuring Taapsee Pannu.
Naam Shabana was a prequel of 2015 espionage thriller Baby, in which Pannu reprised her role of undercover agent Shabana Khan.
The Diplomat features Sadia Khateeb playing the role of Uzma Ahmed, the Indian woman rescued from Pakistan. Khateeb made her acting debut in Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Shikara, opposite fellow debutante Aadil Khan. Her last Bollywood release was Aanand L Rai’s Raksha Bandhan, wherein she played one of Akshay Kumar’s four on-screen sisters.
The Diplomat review
Based on a true story, I had no doubts about the outcome of the story. John Abraham has brilliantly portrayed the role of a diplomat, who outsmarts the Pakistani establishment without firing a single bullet to rescue Uzma. It also delves into the lives of diplomats who perform their national duties in the hostile countries like Pakistan.
Sadia Khateeb deserves accolades for her performance as Uzma. I want to mention a scene where Uzma is sexually assaulted by her husband Tahir. Her portrayal of the ordeal through her eyes leaves even a stone-hearted person teary-eyed.
Sharib Hashmi, Kumud Mishra, Revathy and Ashwath Bhatt have also justified their roles in the film. Not to forget Jagjeet Sandhu, who portrayed Uzma’s abusive husband Tahir Ali in the film.
Overall, I would say that the film is watchable. However, the second half of the flick looks like a hurried effort. It could have been better if the maker had tried to build up the intensity of the moments in the film.
The courtroom scene in the film, although could not be dramatised as it is a real story, could have had more steady moments. The film does throw light on the state of affairs in Pakistan, where the ISI, an integral part of the Deep State, plays a dubious role and leaves no stone unturned to sabotage Uzma’s homecoming.
Ashwath Bhatt, who is known for his role of a Pakistani Army officer in Meghna Gulzar’s Raazi, has done a fabulous role as ISI Director general.