Cast: Niv Sultan, Shaun Toub and Navid Neganbhan
Platform: Apple TV+
Rating: 3.5/5
The eagerly-awaited Tehran, which was released on Apple TV+ a few days ago, is a fairly engaging thriller that hits the right notes. The show revolves around what happens when an India-bound flight is forced to land in Iran. The basic storyline, which deals with the Iran-Israel conflict, is compelling and makes a solid impact on its political undertones.
The execution is quite effective and does justice to the intriguing premise. The screenplay relies heavily on 'showing' as opposed to 'telling', making it easy for the audience to relate with the reel action.
Tehran opens on a gripping and haunting note and this sets the tone for what is to follow. The opening sequences leave the target audience spellbound with their organic intensity, lighting the human side cost of the political conflict being explored in the series The first episode itself features quite a few major twists, which has been executed rather well and this goes a long way in building the universe of the show.
The subsequent episodes too, have plenty of surprise elements to keep fans hooked. Some of the subplots are not as compelling as the others, diluting the impact a bit. This, however, is not a major issue as Tehran has its heart in the right place.
Some of the political/cultural references, which form the backbone of the show, too might not click with a section of the audience. The layered characterisation of the protagonists, however, adds an emotional connection to Tehran and this adds a new dimension to the viewing experience.
Coming to performances, Niv Sultan is the heart and soul of the series. The 28-year-old gives it her all and makes a decent impact.
Iron Man actor Shaun Toub does justice to a layered character. His intense body language adds new life to a key scene in the first episode. Navid Neganbhan too delivers the goods despite getting limited scope in the opening episodes.
The supporting cast is top-notch. The background score could have been a bit better as it does not add a new dimension to the 'thrill quotient' of Tehran. Some of the dialogues are a bit caustic and ups the recall value of the series. The other technical aspects have handled with rather competently.