Last Updated:
Manushi Chhillar’s role was chopped in Tehran, starring John Abraham. Director Arun Gopalan said certain scenes were cut for pace.
John Abraham, Manushi Chhillar’s Tehran directly released on Netflix.
While John Abraham’s films are often known for minimal dialogue and strong visual storytelling, the audience noticed that Manushi Chhillar barely had any lines in Tehran. Addressing the curiosity, director Arun Gopalan clarified that it wasn’t a conscious decision to restrict her role. For the unversed, the film saw a direct OTT release instead of theatres after a long hiatus.
Originally, Tehran was a two-and-a-half-hour film with several sequences dedicated to Manushi Chhillar’s character. However, during the editing process, the team had to make tough choices to ensure the narrative remained sharp and fast-paced. “We had a lot of scenes with her, but in the process of keeping the film crisp, we had to cut down,” director Arun Gopalan told Firstpost.
Interestingly, her character arc included layered scenes where she was shown going through different stages of an illness — all designed to be expressed without dialogue. There was also a poignant bonding sequence between Manushi’s character and John Abraham’s Vijay, which the director described as “beautiful.” Unfortunately, many of these moments were sacrificed in the final cut.
Despite the reduced screen time for Manushi, the team believes the decision ultimately benefited the film. “But the crispness worked for us and could drive the story as fast as possible. In the process of keeping the film crisp, a lot of Manushi Chiller’s scenes were cut all through and a lot of other scenes,” the director added.
Why did Tehran skip theatrical release?
Tehran was made for theatres, however, it was directly release on OTT. Filmmaker Arun Gopalan said, “Though I wasn’t a part of that decision. There are four languages in the film. This film needed subtitles. How it would have survived in theatres, I really don’t know. But I thought it would look lovely on the big screen. We had some screenings and the film looked so good on screen. There are certain elements of sound design which is so good. The music is beautiful and I felt that these things could be experienced in theatres and the shots were too good.”
What is John Abraham’s Tehran about?
Tehran is a high-stakes Hindi action-thriller headlined by John Abraham and Manushi Chhillar. Inspired by true events and set against the backdrop of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, the film delves into the shifting sands of international politics. It is directed by Arun Gopalan and backed by producers Dinesh Vijan, Sandeep Leyzell, and Shobhna Yadav, with a screenplay penned by Ritesh Shah and Ashish Prakash Verma.
Tehran is now streaming on Netflix.
Anindita Mukherjee works as a Senior Sub-Editor in the Entertainment team at News18 Showsha. She introduces herself as someone who is truly, deeply and passionately in love with SRK, films, shows and glitz – ba…Read More
Anindita Mukherjee works as a Senior Sub-Editor in the Entertainment team at News18 Showsha. She introduces herself as someone who is truly, deeply and passionately in love with SRK, films, shows and glitz – ba… Read More
Check latest Bollywood news updates, events and award shows, upcoming hindi movies releases, exclusive interviews, box office collections, reviews, trailers, and more. Download the News18 App.
