On Netflix, I recently started watching The Diplomat, the 2025 Hindi-language political thriller starring John Abraham as Indian diplomat J.P. Singh. The film is based on the real-life story of Uzma Ahmed, an Indian woman who was tricked into visiting Pakistan under pretences and forced into marriage, then took shelter in the Indian embassy in Islamabad.

On paper, the story is powerful and emotionally driven, which are the right elements that make a plot gripping.

However, my personal experience with the film was underwhelming.

The portrayal of Uzma (played by Sadia Khateeb) felt extremely off. Instead of showing her as a victim who fights her way through a traumatic situation, the film presents her as overly clumsy and almost cringeworthy. It felt like the filmmakers were trying to dramatize her helplessness rather than her strength and that was hard to watch.

John Abraham, on the other hand, gives a composed performance as J.P. Singh. He brings a calm intensity to the role, and I can see why some viewers appreciated his portrayal of a diplomat navigating a tense international crisis.

While the background score by Ishaan Chhabra adds to the tension, and the music by A.R. Rahman is quite impressive but it wasn’t enough to keep me hooked. The half-baked writing and character treatment just didn’t allow for that connection to take place while I was watching the film.

Overall, The Diplomat had the potential to tell an important story, which could highlight both the courage of Indian diplomats and the strength of women like Uzma Ahmed. Unfortunately, the way her character was handled felt like a caricature and diluted the impact of the film. For those who enjoy diplomatic thrillers, it might still be worth a watch. But for me, the disconnect in character portrayal made it hard to stay invested.

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