As all our eyes are glued on to the television screens, for the real-time updates on Operation Sindoor, the Indo-Pak conflict that was born out of the terrorist attack on tourists at Pahalgam, John Abraham's film The Diplomat, talks about something very similar. Directed by Shivam Nair, The Diplomat is currently streaming on Netflix and the timing couldn’t have been be more perfect. As the ceasefire pact between the two nations is becoming increasingly entangled in real-world geopolitics, this timely political thriller comes loaded with complex ethical dilemmas, and a true story that’s more shocking than fiction.
Based on the real-life mission of Indian diplomat JP Singh, the film explores the dramatic rescue of Indian national Uzma Ahmed, who was lured to Pakistan under false pretences and forced into marriage. While the film, which released at the theatres in March, may not have set the box office on fire, it quietly built a fanbase of political thriller junkies, real-world story admirers, and of course, die-hard John Abraham fans who like their adrenaline with a side of grey matter.
Reality can sometimes be more mind-blowing than fiction. The Diplomat is inspired by the real-life rescue mission of Uzma, an Indian woman who escaped a forced marriage in Pakistan in 2017. The events that followed to her dramatic return, steered by diplomat JP Singh, played by John Abraham, read like a thriller novel—except it actually happened.
Since it is based-on a real-life incident, and a fantastic handling of the subject by the director, you wouldn't spot a motorcycles, machine guns or even a slow-mo walk through an explosion. In the film, John dons the hat of a suave bureaucrat, and proves that intensity doesn’t always require a six-pack, it's all celebral, controlled and quietly powerful.
This isn’t your chest-thumping drama. As John had mentioned, The Diplomat isn’t your typical India-Pakistan saga. It’s a humanitarian story wrapped in the world of political diplomacy. The focus is on logic and reasoning over rage, revenge, which makes the film smarter and more layered than most of its genre.
If you’ve already binged Special Ops or Naam Shabana, you know what Shivam is capable of. He can stage any tense diplomatic standoff better than most, no extra drama, just the thrill and a tight screenplay, without ever going overboard.