Shivam Nair’s 2025 Hindi thriller The Diplomat keeps its suspense alive despite a story whose real-life outcome is known. In Nandini Ramnath’s review for Scroll.in, the film’s controlled staging and editing make for a watchable thriller, though its 137-minute runtime could be trimmed and its picture of diplomacy is less convincing than its suspense.
What is The Diplomat about?
The film is based on the 2017 case of Uzma Ahmed, as described in Ramnath’s March 14, 2025 review for Scroll.in. In the reviewer’s account, Ahmed fled a marriage she described as abusive, took refuge at the Indian Embassy in Islamabad, and returned to India after envoy JP Singh’s diplomatic manoeuvring.
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In the film, Uzma (Sadia Khateeb) alleges that her husband, Tahir (Jagjeet Sandhu), tortured and abused her. JP Singh (John Abraham) begins sensitive negotiations with a Pakistani counterpart, while Malik (Ashwath Bhatt) tries to derail them. The film’s tagline is “A true hero needs no weapon.”
How well does the thriller build suspense?
Ramnath’s central point is that knowing the outcome does not erase the tension. Nair keeps the focus on the negotiations and the immediate obstacles around Uzma’s safety; editor Kunal Walve’s work helps sustain the pressure. The suspense comes less from wondering how the story ends than from watching whether the characters can get there.
#1 Best Overall
- Blu-ray
- Multiple Formats, AC-3, Blu-ray
- English (Published), English (Original Language), English (Unknown)
- 2
- 188
Ramnath describes Abraham’s JP Singh as clinical and controlled, a quality that suits a character working through sensitive negotiations. She finds Sandhu unsettling as Tahir. Revathy appears in a cameo as then External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, while Sharib Hashmi has a smaller role as an embassy employee.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where does The Diplomat fall short?
At 137 minutes, the film has room to tighten its pace. Ramnath’s reservation is not simply that the plot moves quickly: some shortcuts push events forward without giving a convincing sense of how diplomacy works. The result is a thriller that can maintain suspense while simplifying the negotiation at its centre.
Rank #2
That distinction shapes the verdict. The film’s focused approach helps it deliver the suspense experience it sets out to provide, but it offers a less nuanced account of a complicated case and diplomatic process. Ramnath calls it “a simplistic film about a complex negotiation into a tricky case” that fulfils its brief.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #4
Rank #3
Who made the film?
- Director: Shivam Nair
- Screenwriter: Ritesh Shah
- Editor: Kunal Walve
- Stars: John Abraham and Sadia Khateeb
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