I Do Things My Way: John Abraham

Up, close and personal with the hottest hunk in Bollywood.

It is a gloomy day and I’m half an hour late for my appointment with John Abraham at his Union Park, Bandra office. The operator informs him about my arrival and he joins me instantly.

“Come,” he says, leading me to what he describes as his private out-house designed by his architect brother in glass and wood.

This is my personal den, where I spend all my creative time when I’m not shooting.

John Abraham, Actor

Built over a water tank, the only problem with this super venue is that it gets freezing cold. So John has to keep turning off the air conditioner to maintain temperature.

He deliberates for a long time to find a perfect spot for me to escape the blast and concludes I take the corner sofa. I submit to his thoughtfulness but halfway during the conversation, hop into his adjoining seat for an intimate conversation. He is a bit under the weather, recovering from a severe bout of viral, but is in good spirits.

He confides he dislikes conventional interviews, so we just chat and watch the raindrops fall on his window pane. Over relish aromatic tea, John drops his guard and shares his life and thoughts.

You seldom meet the media and hardly ever do film promotions.

I feel there’s no point. They ask the same things and after a point, everything becomes mundane and mechanical. I accept that in present times marketing is an integral part of filmmaking, which is why promotions are so aggressive and actors visit every reality show. But I believe that if the film has merit, the audience will come to the theatres. My producers know that I will co-operate to a logical point, but they also know that I will not sing and dance at shows for promotions. I have no problems with others doing it, but I just cannot.

You hardly ever attend parties and are not very active on the social media either.

I’m there on social media – both on Twitter and on Instagram but selectively. For me, these are platforms to pursue subjects of my interest - be it cars, bikes or martial arts, not to follow people I already know or brag endlessly about my films. I find parties a waste of time. Besides socialising seriously makes me awkward. If I have to wish a buddy, I can always pick up the phone and wish him. Genuine friends accept you the way you are.

What about your filmmakers?

I’m privileged that Aditya Chopra did three films with me - Dhoom, Kabul Express and New York, and my other directors have also repeated me in their projects. Sanjay Gupta did Zinda and Shoot out at Wadala. Vipul Shah did Force and will be doing Force 2, Shoojit Sircar did Vicky Donor and Madras Café. And now Rohit Dhawan is releasing Dishoom after Desi Boyz. I was asked if it was a right decision to do a family production starring their hero - Varun Dhawan - but I was undeterred. Varun may be Rohit’s brother, but my chemistry with Rohit is bang on. Rohit has to just look at me and I comprehend what he wants in the scene. My strength as an actor is that I aspire for quality and work extremely hard.

Always wanted to ask you this - are you comfortable speaking your lines in Hindi?

Oh yes! My exposure to Hindi is the same as Hrithik Roshan’s - we went to the same school and studied Hindi as a subject. You’ll be surprised, but I can write Hindi faster than I can write English. It’s because during school exams, I was always scared I will not be able to complete my Hindi paper and therefore wrote it the fast and furious way. I cannot write but I speak fluent Gujarati as well and it is because my mother is a Parsi.

How often are you told you are very good looking?

(Blushes) Haven’t heard this for some time, but it becomes frequent when a film is released. You know, my directors cast me as an action hero because of the way I look and my body. But I personally feel my forte is comedy – Taxi No 9211, Dostana, Housefull 2 and Welcome Back are all successes. I seriously feel Karan Johar must make a sequel to Dostana.

There is no way of fighting perceptions. I have done 7 Khoon Maaf with Vishal Bharadwaj and Water with Deepa Mehta, but nobody ever mentions them. I went against my image and produced Madras Café because I felt strongly about the subject. As a child I woke up one morning to find my mom weeping. It was the day Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated and the tragedy remained in my subconscious. I had a hunch that I would one day make a film on this.

Had you ever envisioned you’d work with Amitabh Bachchan one day?

Never. I was extremely nervous during the shooting of Aetbaar and to add to my woes, I fractured my arm just before the shoot. I did not want anybody to know, so wore a disposable cast. If you watch the film again, you will notice in all the scenes my hand falls in a specific position. During Viruddh, I had calmed down reasonably to enjoy the experience of working with the superstar. Amitabh Bachchan is a super guy, so positive and generous and as young in spirit as Abhishek and I - probably more.

Abhishek Bachchan and you are owners of Football teams. How stressful is that?

When the game is on, the heart is in the mouth, every ball is a battle of nerves. But it’s exhilarating too. Making movies is a full-time job and football is as demanding. I work almost 19 hours a day, juggling production, acting and other commitments. My friends tell me I should do more films, but I’ve always been keen on quality than quantity. I do things my way, always have.

Your personal life was in spotlight a while ago. Do you feel calmer now?

Oh yes, life has its share of highs and lows and we have to learn to let bygones be bygones. Time is unpredictable - not just for us celebrities, but everybody. And that is the beauty of life, it is full of surprises.

It is still raining and John escorts me out holding an umbrella. As I get into my car, he says, “Thank you for coming, I enjoyed talking to you.”

“Me too,” I say and I mean it.

(Bhawana Somaaya has been writing on cinema for 30 years and is the author of 12 books. Twitter: @bhawanasomaaya)