Hindustan Times says The Diplomat ticks most boxes for a solid thriller, with edge of the seat moments, pacy background score and gripping narrative, though it falls slightly short of perfection.

Koimoi calls The Diplomat a realistic, minimally dramatized political thriller, praising Ritesh Shah’s writing, Shivam Nair’s direction, Sadia Khateeb’s emotional performance and John Abraham’s pitch perfect restraint.

BollywoodLife says The Diplomat redefines heroism through quiet resilience and diplomacy, praising the film for avoiding jingoism and focusing on negotiation, intelligence and emotional restraint.

Pinkvilla says The Diplomat is well intentioned and grounded, with good performances and strong intent, but the film is too bland and slow-paced to fully work as a thriller.

Bollywood Hungama calls The Diplomat a nail biting thriller that brings a shocking true story to life, praising the tense courtroom portions, the final act, John Abraham’s post-interval performance and Sadia Khateeb’s strong work.

News18’s review describes The Diplomat as a flawed but worthy watch, praising John Abraham’s Indo-Pak drama for choosing restraint over loud nationalism while still finding tension in the real life rescue story.

Filmibeat says The Diplomat has a compelling premise and strong performances, especially from John Abraham and Sadia Khateeb, but the first half is slow and the film focuses too heavily on John’s character at the cost of the ensemble.

Times of India calls The Diplomat a tense political thriller anchored by John Abraham’s commanding performance, praising its restrained dialogues, gripping diplomatic standoff and Sadia Khateeb’s vulnerable performance.

India TV News says John Abraham hits the right spot without high octane action or dialoguebaazi, praising the film as a restrained political thriller led by strategy, emotion and diplomacy rather than physical heroics.

India Today calls The Diplomat a compelling political drama and praises John Abraham’s career-best performance, saying the film avoids typical Indo-Pak chest thumping and delivers a gripping second half and nail biting climax.