EXCLUSIVE: John Abraham’s single idea changed the narrative of Tehran, reveals director Arun Gopalan; says, “That one suggestion shifted the entire grammar of the film” : Bollywood News

In a film industry that often chases spectacle and stereotypes, Arun Gopalan’s Tehran, which will premiere on Zee5, dares to do the opposite — disrupt, deconstruct, and delve deep. A cross-border thriller set against the backdrop of geopolitical tension, Tehran unfolds in multiple languages, cultures, and ideologies, demanding a directorial approach that is both sensitive and fearless.

EXCLUSIVE: John Abraham’s single idea changed the narrative of Tehran, reveals director Arun Gopalan; says, “That one suggestion shifted the entire grammar of the film”

When asked exclusively by Bollywood Hungama how he approached a project with such a culturally and linguistically diverse canvas, especially one that required filming in languages he may not speak fluently, Gopalan began at the root: the actors. “It started with casting,” he said. “I knew I’ll be leaning heavily on the actors who spoke the language – they were my anchors and my bridge into cultures I didn’t fully speak. For every scene, I’d work out three different staging options, each rooted in the emotional core, and share them with the actors over dinner, usually a day before the shoot – just to let the ideas marinate.”

He added, “By the time we were on set, we weren’t chasing lines or translations. The language, honestly, became the last thing to overcome. What mattered most was the pauses, the intention – the emotional objective of the scene. Once that was clear, the words, in any language, found their place. This approach also made the actors more responsible, more invested in the story they were telling. Because in the end, it’s the actors who carry the weight of the narrative – and when they are fully invested in the soul of the scene, magic happens.”

Gopalan and the whole crew were amazed by John’s mastery over Farsi. “And then, on day 1 of shoot, John walks in slipping into fluent Farsi like he’d been speaking it for years. The whole crew was left stumped,” he said.

But Tehran wasn’t just ambitious in language. The crew itself became a living metaphor for the film’s spirit — bridging nations historically divided by conflict. Gopalan recounted how casting decisions and moments off-camera led to genuine emotional resonance.

“There were quiet, powerful moments on set. An Israeli played an Iranian. An Iranian and a Jewish actor were a team of Hamas operatives. None of it was about making a statement – it was about who best fits the role. But those choices carried weight. Between takes, different worlds would surface – personal stories, shared memories, unexpected connections. I remember an Israeli (Tamir) and an Iranian actor (Afshar), who’d barely spoken early on, sitting together one evening. Different sides of a conflict trading childhood memories. That’s the power of cinema,” he said.

It’s not just the casting or crew dynamics that challenged expectations — it was also a single idea from John Abraham that changed the very heart of the narrative. “More than just a performance, what really set the tone for me was something that happened right at the beginning – during my first narration to John,” said Gopalan. “At the time, the film ended in a more conventional, almost expected sort of way: the hero takes revenge, the arc completes in a familiar rhythm. But John paused and his only question after he heard the narration was, ‘What if he doesn’t do exactly that?’”

The director added, “Dinoo (Dinesh Vijan), Sandeep (Leyzell), Ashish (P. Verma) and me were blown. That one suggestion shifted the entire grammar of the film. Suddenly, we weren’t chasing tropes. We were questioning them. And from that point on, everything – the character choices, the pacing, even the emotional temperature of the film – started to evolve in a more restrained, grounded, and surprising sort of way. Sometimes, it’s about that one idea that quietly rewrites the soul of your film.”

Tehran will release on Zee5 from August 14.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Madhurima Tuli speaks on starring opposite John Abraham in Tehran; says her character brings “calm to his chaos”

More Pages: Tehran Box Office Collection

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