Exclusive: John Abraham | English Version

Jumat, 20 September 2019 10:33:35 WIB Selebriti

We need movies on controversial events

Bolly.id - There was a time when John Abraham was merely a good looking man with chiselled muscles and perfect jawline. Starting out as a good looking model, John was brutally criticised for being wooden and expressionless. However, he came out to be the most sought after actor, who grew from strength to strength from the time he appeared in the movie Jism in 2003. 

For a  very long time, he was known for his affair with Bipasha Basu, but later he went on to become a versatile actor, who tried every genre of movies. From movies such as Taxi No 9211 to Shootout at Wadala to NewYork, in which he played architect turned terrorist. The movies. In  2012, when the press has written him off and had stopped taking him seriously as an actor, despite a series of interesting movies. He made a comeback, this time as a producer with the movie Vicky Donor - which had Ayushmann Khurrana and Yami Gautam in the lead. The movie became a superhit, and that confirmed John’s position as a strong producer. He never looked back and made movies which were a complete departure from the movies in which he acted. 

He produced movies such as Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran- that talked about India’s first nuclear testing mission. John again delved into Madras Cafe, which was based on the killing of former PM Rajeev Gandhi. With these few movies, John acquired the fame of being interested in making political dramas. 

So this time, his latest offering is Batla House, which is loosely based on the police encounter with the terrorist in a prominent locality of Delhi. The movie evoked major controversy just as the entire incident brought in the painful memories of the police encounter with young boys alleged to be involved with terrorism. John co-produced the movie and was seen boldly answering the question on the controversial nature of the film.   

There has been a lot of discussion over the choice of movies John has been making lately, but, he is not ready to associate himself with anything that is close to the masala movies.   

John claims he always wanted to be a part of realistic cinema, which narrated a unique story. As a filmmaker, he is fulfilling his long-cherished dream.  

On the personal front, John is not very open about his wife Priya Runchal, who continues to live in the USA. John rarely speaks about his personal life in public and is most conscious of his fitness. He enjoys being a fitness freak and hates to talk about food since he has been only eating healthy and diet food to remain in shape for more than 25 years now. While shooting for his film titled RAW, which was being filmed in Junagarh, John would always be ahead of his shoot, spending huge time in the gym and working hard to have the same body that he had almost two decades back when he joined films. 

John talks to us about his choice of films, his life as an actor, producer and how life has now changed with his kind of movies: 

Your movie Batla House is making waves. Do you think the kind of movies you are doing is the new form of nationalism?

I am glad that the movie is being appreciated by the audience and has evoked thoughts for the country. But, we are all India lovers and we all want to work in movies that have something to talk about our country. There is no strong strategy behind it but it has been an extremely solid way of narrating compelling stories. 

You have come a long way.From being a stark outsider to being one of the acclaimed filmmakers. This has been some journey?

Yes, I always tell newcomers that if I can make it you can too. I have always enjoyed the process of achieving success. I was ridiculed for being a model who cannot act, but I survived after learning the art of being unique and offering something new to the audience. From handling the criticism of being an expressionless model to being thrown out of a movie. I have handled everything.   

A lot has been said about you being a fitness freak. How do you achieve that?

I have always enjoyed being in shape. It is not just about being in chiselled shape, but it is more about being healthy. Now, more than anything else I hit the gym only because of my body, which demands regular exercise. I am equally fond of sports, which has inculcated the habit of being disciplined.   

Your friendship with Akshay Kumar has tested time. Please tell us about that? 

We have been very good friends for long. The best part is that our friendship has grown stronger with time. My film Batla House released with his movie Mission Mangal. But, we never had any competition. He has always been extremely supportive. Desi Boyz, Housefull 2 and Garam Masala are some of the memorable movies that we did together. 

What made you make a movie on the most controversial incident- Batla House?

We have taken a stand in Batla House. Since most actors, filmmakers and celebrities avoid taking a stand on any political issue, we just did what we felt was right. As an industry, do not believe in making movies about real stories and are always looking for entertainment. This is what drove me to work in a movie which is not only real but also have layers of drama. 

Isn’t true that most actors want to stay away from controversies?

We all remember about the shootout, the killing of MC Sharma, a cop who was killed at the hands of the terrorist. There were so many things going on at the same place. We needed to talk about it. 

Your choice of movies have been taking on unexpected reality?

Madras Cafe, Pokhran, and Batla House. Yes, the movies have been different because as we know that fact is stranger than fiction. I just stumbled on it. When I got to know about It, I felt it was fodder for an actor like us. I read the script by a former JNU student who saw things happening. 

Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, the cop played by you is a unique character. How did you get into the skin of the character?

This is the story of gallantry award officer who became a murderer from being a decorated officer. I met him and realise that there were so many intriguing factors in his life. He was getting suicidal and was really involved in the story. I got really involved with the man, who is very sweet in personal life. He was going through PTSD- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. 

How do you look at the success of movies. Do you feel that you should venture into so-called commercially viable movies? 

I want to make films that make effective change within the industry, and films that make people think and at the same time, entertain them. Vicky Donor was first of its kind, so was Madras Cafe… it’s very important to make a change. I am very happy I am not one of those actors who are still trying to breach certain numerical figures… yes, commerce is important. I don’t think I have lost anything for my producer’s or exhibitors. Just to be in the rat race to push big numbers has never been my intention. I am in a happy space.

People have been questioning the need of having a dance number by Nora Faatehi is a movie as serious as Batla House?

The item number part- Nora’s (Fatehi) has got a full-fledged role in the film, and a crucial one. Just to weave in that song was the most difficult part for my director (Nikkhil Advani). Once you see the film, you will forgive us for having a fantastic number in it, which is also a draw right now.

Tell us about your forthcoming movie which is about bike racing. We heard you are planning to get trained at the Isle of Man? 

A story around motorcycles is very close to my heart. This is a story about human relationships. I decided to develop a film on riders and their love for motorcycles in-house two years ago. A lot of research and time has been spent on the subject since then. I'm happy to have Ajay Kapoor and Rensil  (DSouza) on board for this project. I am especially excited that we will film the action sequences in the Isle of Man, the home of racing on real roads.

Tell us about your yet another movie Pagalpanti, in which you will be joined by Anil Kapoor.

This movie got me to return to the comedy genre, but it will have me in a different character and look. In Welcome Back, the comedy was a different kind. I am just waiting for Pagalpanti to get over. There will be a visible change in my character and this film will be unique.

Priya S