Film: The Diplomat

Cast: John Abraham, Sadia Khatib, Jagjit Sandhu, Sharib Hashmi, Kumud Mishra, etc.

Direction: Shivam Nair

Rating: 2. 5 Moons

Story

'The Diplomat' is based on a real, 2017 incident in which a love affair develops between Uzma Ahmed (Sadia Khatib) and Pakistani citizen Tahir Ali (Jagjit Sandhu). Tahir invites Uzma to Pakistan, where she finds he is already married and has four children. Tahir tortures Uzma mentally and physically and forcibly marries her. The film revolves around her struggle when Uzma somehow escapes and reaches the Indian Embassy and seeks help from diplomat JP Singh (John Abraham).

Acting

John Abraham’s old shine is missing. He is expressionless. Perhaps diplomats cannot show emotion and in that respect, John fits the role. But he does not do complete justice to the character of an influential diplomat like JP Singh. There is a lack of depth and impact in his performance. On the other hand, Sadia Khatib plays Uzma very well. There is a truth and heartfelt emotion in her acting. Sharib Hashmi (a member of the Indian Embassy) and Kumud Mishra (Uzma’s Pakistani lawyer) also do a good job, especially Kumud who is brilliant as always.

Direction

Shivam Nair tries to bring a real incident to the screen. Although there were several possibilities in the story, the director did not fully capitalize on them. At places, the film lacks emotion, and the reactions of the characters seem unnatural. The film fails to engage the audience completely.

Dialogues

The film has some Indo-Pak dialogues that can stir emotion. One dialogue in particular catches attention: “Yeh Pakistan hai, yahan threat se hi kaam hota hai.” It reflects the tense atmosphere well, but it could have been more effective if other aspects of the film had the same depth.

Music

The music does not have any special impact. No song or piece of music is able to grab the attention of the viewer, and this makes the experience of watching the film duller. If there were some good songs, the impact of the film could have been better.

Overall

This film you can safely pass this Holi weekend.