In a time where stylized action sequences are given preference over a strong storyline, where most films are unable to humanize their characters, where detailing remains superficial, where deafening background scores are played in every other scene, and where the main focus is on the protagonist’s grand entrance, Tehran, through its sincere execution, makes a solid statement. Credit has to be given to the actors for an exceptional performance and the filmmaker for making the brave choice of having a number of scenes in Farsi, which I thought added a lot of flavor to the film. Adam Karst as Tamir, Haddi Khanjanpour as Afsar Hossaini, Allon Leever as Syed Ali, Dinker Sharma as Vijay, and, obviously, John Abraham as Rajiv Kumar did an exceptional job. That said, I did feel that certain characters, like that of Divya Rana, did not serve any purpose, and her absence would not have had any impact on the screenplay. The first half of the film could seem a bit scattered, but it really picks up pace in its second half. I felt the absence of a scene where the protagonist reflects upon his actions and tries to find out what fueled his motivations. I felt that the clarity he had, pertaining to why it was so important for him to go to Tehran (as revealed in the voiceover at the end of the film), could have been conveyed more impactfully. Apart from these minor hiccups, which I see as a matter of personal taste rather than criticism, I think Tehran was able to stand firm on its ground, and it is definitely one of the better spy films released this year.
Spoiler Alert
What did Rajiv Kumar find out about the bomb blast?
Rajiv Kumar, an officer from the Special Cell Delhi, was known for his impulsive nature and rebellious attitude. Everybody, from his boss to the R&AW chief, knew how he worked, how he intentionally disobeyed orders at times, and how he unabashedly did what he felt was right. But he had a strict moral code which everyone appreciated without making it quite apparent.
There was a bomb blast on the roads of Delhi, targeting a few diplomats from Israel, and a little girl, who earned her living selling flowers at a traffic signal, lost her life. The R&AW chief and other high-ranking officers felt it would be best to hand over the case to Rajiv Kumar, not knowing that he would become a headache for them later. Neeraj, Rajiv’s boss, knew how to talk him into coming on board because at first, he was just not ready to get involved. Neeraj knew that Rajiv was an emotional man, and so he asked him to visit the hospital, where he saw the little girl taking her last breaths in front of his eyes. That girl had a younger brother who was just there, staring at the dead body of his sister, not knowing what he would do next. Rajiv felt sympathetic towards the boy, as he knew that he didn’t deserve to be in that situation. Rajiv took charge of the investigation, and he found out about the ongoing enmity between Israel and Iran. Israel had killed many nuclear scientists from Iran to make sure that they didn’t become a nuclear power. Iran obviously was not going to keep quiet after that, and so Israeli nationals were killed in Georgia and Thailand, and they attempted to assassinate a high-ranking Israeli officer on Indian soil, too. Rajiv got to know that three Iranian nationals were the masterminds behind the operation: Shaheen Sultani, Reza Abassi, and Afsar Hosseini. Rajiv knew that he had to set a precedent so that no such thing would ever happen on Indian soil in the future.
Why was Rajiv asked to abort the mission?
India had good relations with Iran and Israel, both, which were why it was critical to deal with the matter cautiously. Rajiv was very clear that Indian citizens wouldn’t be collateral damage in the conflict between Israel and Iran. He told his boss, Neeraj, that if he had his permission, he would like to go on a covert mission and eliminate all three Iranians who were responsible for orchestrating the attacks in different parts of the world. Rajiv, together with his team, located Sultani and Abassi and eliminated them in quick succession. Afsar Hosseini was the only one left, and Rajiv wanted to finish what he had started. But there were two developments that made it almost impossible for him to successfully execute his mission. Afsar got his hands on the CCTV footage of the area where the two deceased Iranian nationals had spent their last day. Through it, he was able to figure out that the Israelis weren’t behind the attack; it was an Indian special cell officer from Delhi who had killed his brothers. Meanwhile, Iranian delegates were in India to attend a gas conference. It was a bilateral agreement where Iran was supposed to supply oil to India. The Iranian officials had gotten to know that Rajiv had entered Tehran, and so they made it very clear that until and unless the Indian agencies called off their mission, there wouldn’t be any trade between them. Their Indian counterparts also believed that killing Afsar, and that too on Iranian soil, wouldn’t help their cause. The Indian diplomats wanted to benefit from the tragedy. They wanted to pin the blame on Pakistan so that they could further their agenda. But Rajiv was not ready to do that. He wanted to send a loud and clear message that nobody should dare consider making Indians collateral damage. Though the Israelis knew that it was a golden opportunity and that they could use Rajiv to their benefit, they decided to take a step back, as they didn’t intend to escalate the matter. Rajiv was on the hit list of Iran; Israelis had abstained from offering any support to him in the hostile territory, and India had deserted him.
Was Rajiv able to find and kill Afsar Hosseini?
Rajiv lost one of his team members, Divya, when they were ambushed by Iranian soldiers, and later, Vijay, his junior from the Delhi Special Cell, decided to stay back as he was too traumatized after the loss. Rajiv reached Tehran alone, and he met a man named Tamir who was supposed to provide him with logistical support for his mission. But then India abandoned Rajiv, and Tamir advised him to stay at his place for a week till the dust settled, and then go back to India. But Rajiv hadn’t come all this way to just leave everything midway and go back. Rajiv and Tamir really bonded with each other in those 7 days. Tamir had lost his son in a bomb blast, and life was never the same for him from that day. He still had regrets about not hugging him one last time and for not telling him how much he loved him. Tamir had a daughter, and so Rajiv didn’t want Tamir to accompany him on his mission further. But Tamir was a man of his word, and he made it pretty clear that he was not going to back out at the last moment. Rajiv and Tamir figured out the whereabouts of Syed Ali, who happened to be Afsar’s right-hand man. They had a hunch that they could be walking into a trap, but they needed to take that risk. The informant who gave them Syed’s location told Afsar about what Rajiv was up to. The moment Rajiv and Tamir abducted Syed, Afsar and his men started chasing them. Tamir got gravely injured, and he finally took his last breath at the safehouse. Rajiv found out there was a GPS device planted on Syed, and the latter had no clue that his own people, and Afsar of all people, had betrayed his trust. Afsar reached the safe house with his men, and Rajiv was able to overpower them.
In Tehran’s ending, Rajiv came face to face with Afsar, and he shot at him, fatally injuring the man. Afsar, till that moment, had realized that he wouldn’t be able to escape from here. The Iranian army also wanted him dead, as he had become a nuisance for them. He had killed a rabbi in the U.K., and the Iranian government knew what a predicament he had put them in by doing so. They wanted to pin the entire blame of the attacks on him and not take any responsibility for his actions. Rajiv didn’t kill Afsar, but he handed over the gun to Syed and let him take his revenge. Meanwhile, Indian officials got to know what Rajiv had accomplished, and they were quite happy with the outcome. Neeraj requested the R&AW chief to make arrangements to bring his man back to India, and he agreed. I believe Rajiv made a near escape, and he was able to reunite with his family. I felt that there was a masculine undertone to the way the two agents conversed with each other at the end—one consumed by vengeance and the other determined to guard his nation’s interest. The gas deal between India and Iran was terminated, but since 2012, as the film stated, no such attack was carried out on Indian soil. I personally loved how Rajiv made sure that poetic justice was delivered, and Afsar received his due through the hands of his close associate.
