The Diplomat, directed by Shivam Nair, is undoubtedly a good film, but I was a little disappointed upon finishing it. The reason is that I didn't feel like the creative team was able to tap into the film's full potential. I think the director should be very clear about whether he prefers a more massive strategy (where the emphasis is on creating genuine heroic moments, regardless of their meaning) or if he prefers a more realistic approach and delving into the details of the world in which it is set. While watching The Diplomat, I felt like the team didn't know which way to turn.
I mean, both Ek Tha Tiger and Madras Cafe deal with diplomacy, covert operations, and espionage, and both have a clear idea of what they want to do. I understand that The Diplomat is based on a true story, but a bit more world-building and detailing, especially regarding Uzma's horrific experience in Buner, would have made the film much more impactful. I felt that the entire Buner sequence, when Uzma was taken to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, was handled very superficially. It would undoubtedly have been a disturbing experience for the victim, and the way it was presented simply didn't do it justice, in my opinion.
Director: Shivam Nair
Writer: Ritesh Shah
Stars: John Abraham, Sadia Khateeb, Kumud Mishra
Uzma moved to Malaysia in search of work so she could give her daughter a better life. She had left a failed marriage and just wanted a fresh start. Her friend, Shaheen, who ran a cafe in Kuala Lumpur, had assured her that she could stay with him as long as she wanted. Uzma arrived at Shaheen's house and realized she had forgotten her purse in the taxi. Uzma was wondering what to do when Tahir, a Pakistani man, suddenly appeared with her purse in his hand. Over time, Uzma and Tahir became good friends and started spending a lot of time together. Tahir seemed like a genuine man and helped her look for work. Uzma opened up to Tahir and told him everything about her failed marriage and her daughter, Noor. One day, Uzma learned that her daughter had been diagnosed with thalassemia and didn't know what to do. She didn't have money for the treatment, so Tahir offered to help her and asked her to come to Pakistan. I guess Uzma believed him because Tahir had brainwashed her to a certain extent. He pretended to be a good person and waited on her whenever she needed anything. But suddenly, his behavior changed as soon as Uzma set foot in Pakistan.
Uzma decided to go to Pakistan to seek naturopathic treatment for her daughter's condition, but as soon as she crossed the Wagah border and Tahir came to pick her up in his vehicle, she realized something was wrong. Uzma fell into the trap Tahir set for her. Tahir lived in Buner, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, where, according to India's Deputy High Commissioner, J.P. Singh, even the locals were afraid to go. Uzma was drugged along the way, and Tahir introduced her to potential buyers, a fairly common practice in the region. Tahir probably hoped to get a good price for Uzma, but the buyers didn't like what they saw; they wanted a younger girl, and Uzma was four or five years older than them. So Tahir eventually decided to marry Uzma. First, he raped her overnight, and the next day, he took her to the registry office and made her sign all the documents. Uzma was beaten and sexually abused and was in such a traumatic state of mind that she couldn't process anything.
Almost all the men in Tahir's community had multiple wives; beating and sexually abusing them was second nature to them. Uzma was in a sorry state, and upon seeing her, one of the women felt compassion for her. She gave her secret phone number to call her, and she immediately called Shaheen and told her what had happened. Shaheen's husband, Aamir, worked at the Indian embassy, and it was on his advice that Uzma decided to go to Islamabad to ask for help from the Indian diplomats. But the problem was how to convince Tahir to take her to the embassy.
Uzma thought about it and sensed that her kidnappers loved something more than abusing women: money. She reasoned that if she could make Tahir believe she could get him a large sum of money, he would listen to her no matter what. So Uzma first pretended to have surrendered to the situation. She made Tahir feel ready to make love to her. The next morning, Uzma matter-of-factly told Tahir that her family had a wedding custom whereby newlyweds received a sum of money from the bride's family. And now that they were married, she would want to use that money for the well-being of her unborn child.
After that, she had Tahir hooked, and as soon as she told him the amount could be around 10 lakh rupees, Tahir lost his composure. Uzma told him that one of her relatives, Aamir, worked at the Indian embassy, and that she would have to go there and ask him how to transfer that money. Such was the man's greed that he agreed to take her there, even though any ordinary person would have known it was a trap. The moment Uzma entered the embassy, she seized her opportunity, ran to the screening window, and told Ayush, a junior staff member, that her life was in danger. Ayush knew it could be a bluff, but he listened to his instincts. There was something in Uzma's expression that made him believe her. He opened the door and let her in. It was then that the Assistant High Commissioner and seasoned diplomat, JP Singh, took charge, checked Uzma's documents, and made sure she was telling the truth.
Uzma took her time telling JP Singh what had happened. JP Singh knew that, sooner or later, he would have to testify before the magistrate and prove that she was not being held in the Indian embassy against her will. Uzma simply wasn't ready to leave because she knew that if she did, she would have to face Tahir. She knew she hadn't done anything wrong, but it wasn't easy for her to look her abuser in the eye. Until then, JP Singh was in contact with the Indian Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj, who was ready to help in any way she could. It was pressure from the Indian government that kept the ISI at bay, otherwise they wouldn't have let Uzma leave so easily. JP Singh knew it was important for Uzma to make a statement to the press so that people wouldn't blame the Indian government for pressuring her. It was then that JP Singh leveraged his experience and asked his men to tell Tahir that he could come see her the next day.
The plan was to keep Tahir busy while Uzma went to give her statement. The trick worked, and Tahir was furious. He and his men couldn't imagine that JP Singh had tricked them. It seemed like Uzma's troubles were going to end, and she would be sent back to her country. But around that time, Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian citizen, was arrested in Pakistan and sentenced to death for espionage. This meant that Uzma's case would be frozen by the authorities. Sushma Swaraj called JP Singh and warned him that the situation could get worse and that he would have to prepare for difficult times. JP Singh went to tell Uzma and asked her not to lose hope and to fight until the end. Uzma was terrified; She didn't know if she would have to return to that desolate place where Tahir was holding her. But she decided to show courage and not give up so easily.
Taking advantage of the delay, Tahir decided to file a lawsuit demanding custody of his wife, whom he claimed was being held against her will. But JP Singh got ahead of the ISI and Tahir, asking his lawyer, Syed, to file an advance response before that happened. Syed was one of those good Samaritans who didn't hesitate to fight for the truth.
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