Abraham's 'Malakal,' 'Tariq' to release in theaters: 'Tehran' director confirms
25 Aug 2025

Arun Gopalan, the director of John Abraham's recent film Tehran, has confirmed that their upcoming projects Malakal and Tariq will have a theatrical release.

In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, he said these films are "100%" going to be released in theaters.

The news comes after Tehran was released directly on ZEE5 (Premium) and will reportedly be streaming on Netflix from Tuesday.

'Tehran's digital release on ZEE5
OTT release

Tehran was planned as a big-screen release, revealed Gopalan. "But the most obvious reason, which I would assume is the use of Farsi...and English," the film had to be dropped on OTT.

Despite mixed reviews, Abraham's performance in the film has been widely appreciated.

When asked if the reception would've been better if released theatrically, Gopalan said, "I don't know. That's a very tricky question because I'm not a producer...I would say yes, but I don't know."

More about 'Tariq,' 'Malakal'
Director's perspective

Gopalan also shared his experience of working with Abraham in Tehran.

"John is a very different person for me," the director said, adding how the actor had suggested the ending for the action thriller.

To recall, Abraham had announced Tariq on Independence Day 2022, set for release the next year. However, things didn't work out as expected, leading to a delay.

On the other hand, Malakal is a biopic based on the life of a celebrated soldier, Major Toor.