Movie review: John Abraham’s ‘The Diplomat’ is gripping but riddled with flaws

Uzma, a single mother of one from Delhi, meets Tahir, a Pakistani, in Malaysia and strikes a bond. Unflinchingly, she crosses the Wagah border into Pakistan and sets off for the volatile Buner, where even Pakistanis think twice before going. All this in pursuit of a man, but what awaits Uzma is torture—mental, physical, and sexual—who is married off to Tahir at gunpoint.

With trickery, she reaches the Indian High Commission in Islamabad and thus unfolds tight diplomatic manoeuvring in a mission headed by the then Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh to bring Uzma back home.

This might read like a Bollywood script, but is the real-life story of Uzma Ahmed, which made headlines in 2017 in both India and Pakistan and is now the premise of a film aptly named The Diplomat.

Starring John Abraham in the leading role of Singh, the film recreates the events but from the point of view of the diplomat who spearheads Uzma’s tricky homecoming.

“Diplomacy baaki deshon ke saath hoti hai, yahan ice-skating (Diplomacy happens with other countries, here we do ice-skating),” says Abraham as Singh, declaring the nature of the diplomatic relationship between the two countries.

While, over the past decade, there has been a swift rise in films riding on jingoistic nationalism, director Shivam Nair and writer Ritesh Shah delicately steered clear of it.

While there is Pakistan-bashing here and there, the focus is tightly held and is thrilling to make you suspicious of Uzma at first but keep you at the edge till she doesn’t cross the Wagah border back to India.

While Abraham, who has also backed the project, is fabulous as Singh, bringing out the right amount of sharpness and balance required of a diplomat, Sadia Khateeb as Uzma takes the cake.

From naive to afraid and tortured, to strong and resilient, she portrays the myriad states Uzma goes through with much honesty. As Uzma’s shauhar (husband), Jagjeet Sandhu is excellent as Tahir. While not as towering in build as his cruelty, he makes you flinch throughout.

Although a short appearance, Revathy is charming as the late Sushma Swaraj, the then minister of external affairs. There is also Kumud Mishra, as a helpful lawyer, and Sharib Hashmi, as an Indian official, who brings a sense of lightness to the otherwise serious premise.

While a good thriller and a one-time watch, The Diplomat suffers from some glaring flaws. While based on real-life events, the makers merely scratch the surface and stick to the sarkari version.

For example, how love blossomed between Uzma and Tariq is glaringly missing, and so is the motivation behind Tariq’s savagery. The case remains murky, straddled with gaping holes, which the film doesn't address and thus loses on impact.

Ashwath Bhatt plays an ISI agent whose whole intention is to stop Uzma from leaving the border. ‘Why?’ one wonders and is left wondering till the end. Even Tariq’s entire clan is reduced to women-beating savages, with no explanation for their acts whatsoever.

Having said that, in times when, in the name of films, the audience is largely offered mediocrity week after week, The Diplomat makes for a decent watch.

 

Film: The Diplomat

Director: Shivam Nair

Cast: John Abraham, Sadia Khateeb, Revathy, Kumud Mishra, Ashwath Bhatt, Jagjeet Sandhu

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