John Abraham: I am not run of the mill actor and I never will be!

His splendid physique can make every girl go weak in her knees, he has a sense of humour that can make your ribs hurt laughing while he can perform action like he is a superhero. Yes, we are talking about John Abraham who has managed to tap almost all the genres. From his classic comedy in ‘Housefull’ to his intense performance in ‘Force’, John has always managed to keep his audience at the edge of their seats and that’s why you can’t stereotype him. He has been entertaining his fans for several years now, and yet we can’t categorize him in any given way. Probably, that’s what his mantra is! To ‘NOT’ be a run of the mill actor.

With his film ‘Dishoom’, which again seems to be edgy, we caught with this handsome hunk in a candid interview wherein he spoke about almost everything. From his failures to being a romantic hero, here’s what he has to say…

On working with Varun Dhawan…
I think the trailer and interviews say it all. We are extremely comfortable with each other. I knew Rohit Dhawan from 2008 when I did film ‘Hook Ya Crook’ with his father. Then I did ‘Desi Boyz’ with Rohit and just before ‘Desi Boyz’ I got to know Varun. So working with Varun was like a natural extension of how our relationship is, so it is very seamless. It was very effortless.

An instant yes for ‘Dishoom’?
Yes, one because of Rohit Dhawan. He is a young director and he is very Hollywoodish in the way he makes films, but at the same time because of his father’s blood, he makes massy films. Second, thankfully the script was fantastic. It is a very relevant issue in today’s time. If a Sri Lankan team can get attacked today, then it is very easy for anyone to get kidnapped. So it is very relevant.

So how is action in ‘Dishoom’ different than his other films?
Even though there’s action in this film, there’s a little romance in the film, there’s song and dance, there’s a lot of comedy, so ‘Dishoom’, it is not primarily an action film. There is everything for everyone, but the beauty is how the director has put all that together. Rohit is very intelligent with his film making and I think what he concentrated on is the content of the film. He wanted the content to be right and he stays true to the story.

So what matters more, director or script?
I think it’s the combination. I am a beggar for content. While it’s easy for others to make a film, but it is very difficult for me to make one at least as a producer. I am always looking for content and even after that you don’t know whether your film will succeed or fail. So it’s better to reduce the probability of failure with great content. But at the same time if you have a great content and you don’t have a good director, you are finished. If you have a decent content but have a very good director, then it’s awesome and if you have great content and great director, it’s fantastic. So I think getting that combination correct is tough. I always believed in launching newcomers. I always believed in looking at the next best director who will become big. I will always look for fresh content, but I will never veer away from the fact that I want to do commercial film that your family can enjoy.

On his superb physique…
We are all guilty of playing too much stress on physicality. Films are a visual medium, so it is good to be in good shape. There was a time when media always asked me about my 6 packs and since then I have never been off the mark. But I am fit because I want to be fit, if I am on-screen or not, and on-screen you have to mould yourself according to your character. My love for my character is more important to me than my physique. If my character wants me to be obese or 20 kilos lighter, then I will work towards that character.

At this point of time, because of ‘Rocky Handsome’, ‘Dishoom’ and ‘Force 2’, an action space has been created, but that’s not the only genre I want to do. The idea is to always try and make something different. I have created an impression in minds of every one that if it is John Abraham, then he’ll try something different. I am not your run off the mill hero and I will never be one. If there’s a trend going on, I will do exactly opposite. That’s the way I like doing it.

So dealing with failure…
I don’t get depressed after my failure. You got to be really nervous when you sign a film, not when it releases. When the cat’s out of the bag, when the bullet is out of the barrel, you can’t do anything. Can I change the fate of the film? No, I can’t.

What about box office numbers?
In my book, personally, numbers don’t affect me. Does it make you feel good? Yes. But will I do a film because of numbers? No. If I do that, then I am like everybody else. That’s never going to be my driving force. My driving force is always going to be something different. When I took ‘Madras Café’ around for 7 years, no studio entertained me. Imagine if I would have thought about box office numbers then. Every studio told me that it was a disaster, but I still stuck by what I believed in. Did ‘Water’ run at the box office? No, but at the same time Mr. Steven Spielberg came and told me, “Son, what a fantastic performance.” So it’s the gratification that matters. As actors, we really are beggars of appreciation. We want to take your appreciation, put it in our pocket and move to the next stock.

About his personal life being under scrutiny constantly…
Media in this country is very gracious. It’s not like paparazzi in foreign countries. Your personal life is out there and there’s nothing wrong with it. But I am very private. I only choose to talk about it and then move away from it. But I am not the one who would post selfies and do public display of affection. PDA is a big LOL for me. I keep my personal life very close to myself. When I say media is very gracious is because when they ask you something and I say no… they leave me alone.

So talking about being in romantic films…
I have done comedy, I have done action… I would like to do a romantic film (smiles). But you know I feel with me the film has to be edgy, romance has to be edgy. I think even in real life, I don’t think you romance like it used to be in old films. That romance is boring, you don’t want to see that. I am not saying that romance has to be 50 Shades of Grey all the time, but I am saying that with John Abraham who started with ‘Jism’ or has done ‘Dostana’, you will expect something edgy even out of romance. You won’t expect me to just smile and look at the girl, it won’t happen with me. There has to be some amount of physicality, some movements, something… because I am a very physical person. So romance, yes but if treated differently.

Normal is boring, he signs off!

Also Read: When John Abraham and Varun Dhawan stopped Karan Johar from pouting

Nikita Thakkar

A strongly opinionated, free-spirited, budding Bollywood journalist, she likes to write anything in her own quirky style. When not running around to get assigned tasks completed, you will find her either painting, indulging in photography or dreaming in the la la land.