John Abraham's latest film, Tehran, has been released exclusively on ZEE5. The film that also stars Manushi Chhillar draws inspiration from the 2012 bombing near the Israeli Embassy in Delhi—an incident that pulled India into a larger diplomatic storm. The film uses this as a springboard for a taut ‘what if’ scenario, weaving fiction with plausibility in a way that keeps you guessing what’s fact and what’s imagined.

John on Tehran shooting experience

In the film directed by Arun Gopalan, people from Iran and Israel are cast in apt roles. Talking about shooting with them, John Abraham shares, "It was great shooting with Israelis and Iranians, and the most beautiful thing about this film was that the Iranians actually played the Iranians, and the Israelis actually played the Israelis. During breaks and lunch, we would all sit together, eat, talk, and smile about life, and that’s the beauty of filmmaking - it brings people together."

For the film, John also learned the language, Farsi. For the actor, it wasn't as difficult to learn the language as he was familiar with it because of his family. "Learning Farsi was challenging. I learnt it over six months but what’s more important is that my grandfather came from Iran, so my mom would occasionally speak to me in this language. I was familiar with it, but not completely. Of course, all credit goes to my teacher and to everyone around me for helping me get it right".