John Abraham’s “Tehran,” originally a two-and-a-half-hour film, premiered directly on Netflix. Director Arun Gopalan clarified Manushi Chhillar’s limited dialogue wasn’t intentional, but resulted from editing for pacing
While John Abraham’s films are usually marked by minimal dialogue and a strong emphasis on visual storytelling, viewers noticed that Manushi Chhillar had very few lines in Tehran. Addressing the curiosity, director Arun Gopalan clarified that limiting her role was not an intentional move. The film, after a long wait, ultimately skipped theatres and premiered directly on OTT.
Originally running for two and a half hours, Tehran had multiple sequences that explored Manushi’s character in detail. However, during the editing process, the team made difficult choices to maintain a fast-paced narrative. Gopalan explained that several scenes featuring her were shot, but trimming was necessary to keep the film sharp and engaging. He also revealed that her role had been written with depth, showing her character experiencing different stages of an illness, largely expressed through expressions rather than words. There had even been a moving bonding sequence between Manushi’s character and John Abraham’s Vijay, which the director described as beautiful, though it too was cut from the final version.
Despite the reduced screen time for the actress, the filmmakers felt the decision served the story better. According to Gopalan, the crisp edit allowed the film to move forward quickly, though it came at the cost of several of Manushi’s scenes and other subplots.
When asked why Tehran did not release theatrically, Gopalan said he was not involved in the final decision. He pointed out that the film had dialogues in four different languages, which required subtitles, making its box-office survival uncertain. He believed the film would have looked spectacular on the big screen, noting that the sound design, music, and visuals were crafted for a theatrical experience. The team had even held preview screenings, and Gopalan felt that the cinematic impact was especially strong in that setting.
As for the story, Tehran is a tense Hindi action-thriller led by John Abraham alongside Manushi Chhillar. Inspired by real events and set against the backdrop of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, the film explores the complexities of global politics. Directed by Arun Gopalan and produced by Dinesh Vijan, Sandeep Leyzell, and Shobhna Yadav, it is scripted by Ritesh Shah and Ashish Prakash Verma.
Tehran is now available for streaming on Netflix.