- 2 months ago
John Abraham, in an exclusive interview with India Today, spoke about censorship, body stereotypes, gender disparity, and his upcoming films. On choosing projects like Tehran, he said he believes in taking risks, having a voice, and speaking responsibly.
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00:00Hello and welcome to an India Today special. Think about it. It's the turn of the century and you have the most unlikely name to become a major Hindi film star. You're from Bandra, a good old Bandra boy. And yet two decades later, you are one of the most bankable stars of the Hindi film industry.
00:24The journey of John Abraham is what we're going to be talking about with the man himself. John, welcome.
00:32How are you doing, Rajeev?
00:34You know, when I say I'm doing well, you're looking younger than ever. What keeps you looking so young? How old are you now? Are you going to tell us?
00:41I'm 52.
00:4252? You don't look a day over 21.
00:45Man, thank you.
00:46The genes are the same. The kids are the same.
00:48Yeah.
00:49Still looking as…
00:51It's in my genes.
00:51It's in your genes. G-E-N-E-S.
00:54G-E-N-E-S.
00:55G-E-N-E-S. But, you know, when I said that, the most unlikely star in a way. I still recall the two of us met sometime in the late 90s.
01:0425 years ago, right?
01:0525 years ago, there was some award function, you, me and Leander face.
01:09I was sandwiched between these two good-looking men.
01:12That made three of us.
01:14Not quite. But at that stage, you were a top model.
01:17And many wondered, would John be able to really make the transition to becoming a film star with a name like John Abraham?
01:25Yeah, so true.
01:26You know?
01:27Yeah.
01:27Did you ever have that sense of self-doubt when you made just first time, what, 2003?
01:322003.
01:33No, I didn't think about it, Rajdeep. At that point of time, it didn't even cross my mind.
01:37I had four films that failed after that. I still didn't think about it. And then Dhoom happened.
01:42And then, here I am, sitting in front of you.
01:45It mustn't have been easy to break in. You're not a Nepo kid. You're, in fact, just the opposite.
01:50Dad, an architect. Bandra boy, as I call you.
01:54Mom, a basketball. She played basketball for India.
01:56Really?
01:57Mom. Yeah, yeah.
01:58Wow.
01:59Yeah. That's how they met, by the way. Very interesting story.
02:01Tell me.
02:02My dad was in the YMCA. And he overstayed his time in the YMCA. And he saw this pretty girl playing basketball below. And he said, she's really cute. And they went out for five years and then she eloped. She ran away from home to get married to him. And then I was born.
02:19But, you know, just as that was a sort of strange coincidence, you're entering cinema. Was that something you'd ever planned on when you were, when John Abraham was this model, wowing audiences?
02:33Yeah.
02:34Did you ever think that, look, I need to make the transition to cinema? Because it's never been easy.
02:38Yeah.
02:39You know, you can be a very successful model.
02:42And that was the end.
02:42But that doesn't make you a film star. So, did you plan it at any stage?
02:46Not at all. I took a sabbatical from my job. After I finished my MBA, I was a media planner with an ad agency, Enterprise Nexus. My boss was Mohamed Khan Rajiv Agarwal. They were my bosses.
02:57I remember Mohamed Khan.
02:58Yeah. So, I was directly under him. And I was this blue-eyed boy in a way. And I took a sabbatical to model. And then modeling just went one step up, up, up, up. And I thought, after this is over, I'll get back to my work.
03:13Till Mahesh Bhatt called me for a film. So, I called myself an accidental model because I was a media planner when a model didn't turn up.
03:24And I was called in to wear a pair of jeans. And I wore those jeans. And Ashok Salian, a very famous photographer, was then shooting that campaign. And he said, listen, do you want a model? And then contract advertising. There was a girl who came to me and said, I love the way you fill up your jeans.
03:40So, it is in the jeans.
03:44It is in the jeans.
03:45But, you know, John, that's fascinating because, as I said, John Abraham has made a remarkable journey in cinema over 25 years. I say that honestly because you've had major hits.
04:01Yeah.
04:02And you've done all genres.
04:04Correct.
04:04You've done comedy. You've done action thrillers with which you're identified with.
04:08Yeah.
04:08And now you're coming out this Independence Day week with a film called Tehran.
04:13Yeah, geopolitical thriller. Yeah.
04:15I mean, Tehran in the times in which we live, given what's just happened between Iran and Israel, is rather topical.
04:22Yeah.
04:22And you presumably started shooting a couple of years ago.
04:25Yeah.
04:25And coincidentally, it's coming out when Iran has just gone into conflict with Israel.
04:31The film's, in a way, about the Iran-Israel conflict, but with an Indian connection, a bomb blast at the Prime Minister's house.
04:40Correct.
04:40That happened in 2012.
04:41Tell us more about John Abraham making the transition to doing these geopolitical films.
04:47Diplomat now, Tehran.
04:49Well, I was always interested in geopolitics.
04:51My dad used to make me read 10 The Times of India with Swaminathan Sankhla Sariya, his editorials.
04:59Really?
04:59Yeah, yeah.
05:00So, I used to read those.
05:00So, I got interested in the space a long time ago.
05:04The film that impacted me was Schindler's List.
05:07You know?
05:07And for five days, six days, I didn't understand why the Jews were ostracized, why they were crucified, and what happened, happened.
05:17And I said, listen, when I get into films, I'll do a film like this.
05:21And I became an actor.
05:23And then it was about the body, which is the body.
05:27And then I did the dostanas of the world and had a good time and I still have a good time doing all those.
05:33And then I said, listen, if I become a producer, I'll make the films I really want people to see.
05:37Which was, I started with Vicky Donor.
05:40That was my first film.
05:41And then Madras Cafe, Batla House, Parmanu, The Diplomat, Attack, and now Tehran.
05:47In a way.
05:48Tell us more about Tehran before I rewind to the past again.
05:51I mean, for you to do a film, again, a geopolitical film in the times in which we live, I call it the Trumpian age.
05:58Yeah.
05:59An age of chaos.
06:00I saw your, I was watching you when it went up to the 50%.
06:04Tariffs.
06:05Tariffs.
06:06I was watching you on screen, talking to your two guests.
06:08I think Neelkant and...
06:09Yeah, Neelkant and Sajid.
06:11Maxis and Sajid.
06:11My God, you're tracking the news, John.
06:14Not too many people track the news so closely.
06:16Yeah, I track what's happening, especially with our friend Trump.
06:20Like they say in America, if the US is an adversary, it's dangerous.
06:25But when the US is your friend, it's fatal.
06:28You know?
06:29Now, I was seeing the promo of Tehran and Kelly sort of is a very complex story of this bomb blast that takes place outside the Prime Minister's residence, real life 2012.
06:40And Israeli, a diplomat is the target, his wife gets burns, and then you are assigned in a way to expose the bad guys in Tehran.
06:51Now, all of that, do you believe that Indian audiences want to see these kind of films?
06:56Diplomat suddenly struck a chord with many people.
07:00Do you believe that that's what OTT has done?
07:02Provided this entirely new audience which wants a different kind of cinema.
07:06Yeah, I don't think this film would have passed to be shown in theatres, to be very honest.
07:12Really?
07:12Yeah, I don't think so.
07:13So, on record, I must say I'm grateful to the Ministry of External Affairs.
07:18They had to see the film, ask their relevant questions and pass it.
07:21So, the fact that it's even got a platform, we're grateful and I'm thankful to Zee for providing us with this platform, which is why I'm speaking to you.
07:30So, I'm happy it's at least being seen because Rajdeep had reached a point where it was a double of quits.
07:34Do we just shut the film down or do we show it to people?
07:37Really?
07:38Yeah, yeah.
07:38So, we decided that, listen, we got an audience, made some cuts, and here we're showing the film.
07:43Of course, it's about the UPA times.
07:45Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister then.
07:47Correct.
07:47So, it'll be easier for the government to pass it now because we've seen films being censored.
07:51Udaipur Files has struggled to see the light of day.
07:54Other films have also had huge battles with the censor.
07:59Are you okay with the idea that there is someone out there overseeing your creative work?
08:03Would you just like there to be no censor board or minimal censorship?
08:07I think you need censorship, but the way it's being overseen, you know, could be a big question mark.
08:15Till now, they've been good with us, kind with us, and we've also been, I've been, I'll talk about myself.
08:21I've been responsible with the way I've made my films or spoken in my films because, A, I say this on record, I'm not right-wing, I'm not left-wing.
08:30I'm apolitical, I'm politically aware, and it's important for me to make a statement honestly.
08:35But for me, what's worrying is when, you know, right-wing films find a huge audience, that's when you ask yourself as a filmmaker, what line am I going to tow?
08:47Am I going to tow the commercial line to make so much more money?
08:49Or am I going to say true to what I want to say?
08:52So, I think I've taken the latter.
08:54I've made a choice to take the latter and set things as they are.
08:57And in Tehran, I don't, this is not a patriotic film.
09:01This is, like you said, it was, well, in 2012, it's not a patriotic film, but you've shown India as they were.
09:08And my trailer says it, that India has deserted me.
09:11It's interesting, you're saying right-wing films get these huge audiences.
09:15We've seen films like Kashmir Files.
09:17This year's big hit was Chhava, you know, around Chhatrapati Shambhaji Maharaj with Aurangzeb as the villain.
09:25Are you saying that, you know, you're not right-wing, you're not left-wing, you're apolitical?
09:29But is there that temptation every now and then, if I want to make a commercial blockbuster today, maybe I need to sort of go with the flow and make a right-wing film with an Indian Muslim as the villain?
09:42No, sir, I haven't seen Chhava, so I can't comment on that.
09:45I mean, I've heard it's, people have loved it.
09:48People have also liked Kashmir Files.
09:50But what I'm trying to say is that, you know, when films are being made with the intent to sway people in a hyper-political atmosphere and they find an audience, that's scary.
10:02And to answer your question, no, I've never been tempted.
10:04And I'm never going to make those kind of films.
10:06Just like I can't make adult comedies.
10:08You know, it's difficult for me to produce those kind of films or even act in those kind of films.
10:13So, it's a choice.
10:14Are you sympathetic to filmmakers who struggle with the sense of what, you know, who make these films?
10:20With all their heart and passion and then eventually find themselves struggling to get their films across through the sense of all.
10:26Yeah, so we've been pulled up a number of times.
10:30But, you know, there are people in the sense of all who do listen as well.
10:34So, it's important to find the right voice or the right audience there to get your point across.
10:40And I believe if they see sense in what you're doing, you'll get through.
10:44You know, you said you're apolitical, but you are making films with political backdrops.
10:49Yeah, most of my films.
10:51So, how are you working that out?
10:54Whether it was a Madras Cafe.
10:56Films with political themes are something that you seem to enjoy making.
11:01Even though you're saying you're apolitical.
11:03Yeah.
11:03It's just your…
11:05What makes you choose a particular film?
11:07I think, like, for example, Madras Cafe.
11:12I always said this, you know, I felt a drop of water fall on my face when I was young.
11:17And I opened my eyes and I saw my mom drawing the curtains.
11:20And I asked her in Gujarati, because my mom's Irani, Parsi.
11:25And I asked her, I said, Mommy, sooth are you?
11:26What happened?
11:27And she said, Rajiv Gandhi was killed last night.
11:31And when I saw the images in then the Illustrated Weekly with his Lotto shoes, his wide kurta and his, you know, his face,
11:38it impacted me somewhere.
11:40And I didn't understand why my family was crying and moaning over the loss of Rajiv Gandhi.
11:48And of course, all credit to Sujit Sivkar to make such a beautiful film.
11:52And it just came together for us at that point of time.
11:55And Madras Cafe was the first film that I was going to make in my production.
11:59Vicky Donor happened in the midst of that.
12:01And we let that start first.
12:03So, I know what I'm getting into with my eyes open.
12:07Even with Tehran, I knew what I was getting into with my eyes open.
12:10But then in management, there's a saying, the higher the risk, the greater the profit.
12:14Take the risk.
12:15Get a voice.
12:16Have a voice.
12:17Speak about what you want to speak.
12:19And be responsible.
12:20I think people see it.
12:21People are fair.
12:22And people get it.
12:23You know, it's interesting.
12:24We're talking about these political films in a way.
12:27Because when you started all those years ago, and I'm rewinding back,
12:31John was seen as the sex symbol.
12:33It was almost the stereotype of the jock.
12:35With a name like John Abraham, lives in Bandra, jeans, bike.
12:40At best, he's going to do biker films like this.
12:43Is he going to be able to make the transition to this kind of serious cinema?
12:46Were you, in a way, almost burdened by this stereotype of what John Abraham can do?
12:52Yeah.
12:52And what he cannot do?
12:53Yeah.
12:53With your kind of body, you've got to do thrillers, action films.
12:56Yeah.
12:56You can't really do political films.
12:58Was that a burden for a very long time?
12:59Yeah.
13:00It was a monkey on my back.
13:02But listen, I'm not apologetic about the body.
13:04I mean, I had it in Dostana.
13:0615 years later, I had it in Pathan.
13:08Just the color of the shots were different.
13:10One was yellow and one was white.
13:11So I will definitely do action films.
13:14I'll do the big ones.
13:15I'd want to do Force.
13:17It's probably the most untapped big action film that's waiting to happen.
13:21And I'm going to do that.
13:22So I will do the big ones.
13:24But yes, I think the pressure was more from the media that kept reminding me,
13:30Hey, listen, it's about the body.
13:31It's about the body.
13:32It's about the body.
13:33And I'm like, no, trust me, I'm going to give you something more.
13:36So when I became a producer, the first thing I did was try and change that perception.
13:41Because right now, Rajdeep, it's about, for me, it's about legacy.
13:44It's about what I want to leave behind, what I want to do.
13:47I'm not going to do four films a year.
13:48So I'll do one film if that's meaningful and I'll try and make it work.
13:52Even if it doesn't, I'm okay.
13:54You want to talk about the body?
13:56The reason I'm saying this is that, you know, you also entered Hindi cinema at a time
14:02when suddenly it wasn't all about the body.
14:05Yeah.
14:06It was, you know, you were the chocolate box heroes.
14:08You really genuinely were someone who had, you know, the physical fitness to carry off
14:18these kind of action films.
14:19Was that something you consciously grew up with as someone who, were you a gymmer right
14:24through or?
14:24Always.
14:25But, you know, I'm a marketing person also.
14:27So if it was about the body, I'd market the body.
14:29And talking about that.
14:30What do you mean by market the body?
14:32I mean, I position myself as someone who has a body to show out there.
14:36So if it was the dostana walking out of the water or if it was the force, you know,
14:43it's fine.
14:44I'd just make the most of it.
14:46What do you enjoy the most?
14:47Out of all these films, you've done, as I said, you've had hits in the, you enjoy
14:51comedy.
14:51I love comedy.
14:52Why?
14:52I love comedy because I love people coming up to me, smiling and saying, you made us
14:56laugh in Garam Masala.
14:58You made us laugh in Desi Boys.
14:59You made us laugh in Houseful 2.
15:01You know, it's fun.
15:02Especially children.
15:03When children come up to you and say, you know, made us laugh, it is, it's really sweet.
15:08I remember, Mr. Paresh Ramal won't remember this.
15:13He got really upset.
15:13That we were going out somewhere and he was with me at the airport and some kid came running
15:17up to him and said, hey, I'm laughing.
15:20And he was like, yeah.
15:22So, but I enjoy that space.
15:23I love that space.
15:24And I think comedy is the toughest genre to do.
15:26And you mentioned Paresh Ramal over this.
15:29You've done a lot of these films where you've got some other star with you, bouncing of you,
15:34whether it's an Abhishek in Dostana.
15:36Yeah, yeah.
15:37Is that also something you're very comfortable with?
15:39Do you want the solo star?
15:42Now you're in the age where you're the solo star.
15:44I look at Diplomat.
15:45I look at Tehran.
15:46It's all about John Abraham.
15:47Yeah.
15:47But are you okay being part of an ensemble cast?
15:51Absolutely.
15:52And you've enjoyed that?
15:53I've enjoyed that.
15:53I have a great camaraderie with my male co-stars, which is why in most of my films, my wife dies
15:59in the first reel of the film, unfortunately.
16:02I don't know why.
16:03And there's no romance left in my films.
16:05So, I think I need a romantic film also at some point of time.
16:09But it's too late in the day, I guess now.
16:10Why?
16:11I don't know.
16:12Maybe do.
16:13So, everybody who sees me says, John Abraham should do a Fifty Shades of Grey.
16:16And I'm like, no, not again.
16:19You know, you, as I said, come from a family which had nothing to do with the Hindi film
16:25industry.
16:26Mum's a Parsi.
16:27Dad's a Malayali.
16:29A Malayali.
16:30Yeah.
16:31And mixed religions come together.
16:34You've also had a marriage which you've kept your personal life relatively under the
16:40wraps.
16:40Yeah.
16:41In all these years, I haven't heard a controversy in terms of your personal life.
16:44Yeah.
16:44Maybe the odd relationship link somewhere in some gossip page.
16:50But never happened.
16:51Never happened.
16:52Never.
16:52So, have you, has that also been a conscious choice?
16:55Keep my personal life far away from what I do.
16:57Yeah.
16:57That Rajdeep has been a very conscious choice because my films have nothing to do with my
17:02personal life.
17:04And in all the years, Rajdeep, which I want you to know, I've never had a publicist.
17:07I don't have an agent.
17:09So, I don't have someone who's manufacturing stuff for me out there.
17:13So, the minute my films are over, I become not newsworthy and I go into my shell.
17:19And I only come out to speak when I have something relevant to talk about.
17:22So, what does John Abraham do when he's in that shell?
17:25How do you?
17:26I spend all my time with my football team, with my football academy that I'm opening in
17:30Shillong.
17:31Conrad Sangma has granted me 15 acres of land in Shillong.
17:35I'm opening India's finest football academy there for youngsters to come out of there.
17:40So, we get one Messi or one Ronaldo from this country.
17:43That's what I'm doing.
17:44And it's in the making as we speak.
17:47The rest of the time, I spend writing scripts and developing scripts.
17:52Again, as I said, you're a breakout star in that sense, who hasn't followed a particular
17:59path.
18:00Correct.
18:01Your wife, Priya, also stays away from the Acolytes.
18:06Totally.
18:07Is that, again, a conscious decision that the two of you have taken?
18:11We don't want to attend these film star parties.
18:13We're not into the sort of page three paparazzi.
18:16I don't see John sort of on Instagram being clicked, going to a party.
18:21You're not part of Karan Johar's A-list.
18:24Yeah, I never went to parties even before I got married.
18:28So, I've always chosen to stay out of that because, you know, the music's too loud and
18:33I don't drink alcohol.
18:35And I have no problem with alcohol because my father loves a single malt.
18:39You know, he's a hardcore mallu.
18:41He loves a single malt.
18:43So, I have no problem with it.
18:44I can't take the smell of alcohol.
18:46So, there's no point in me going and standing at a place where I can't speak.
18:50I sleep very early, Rajdeep.
18:52I sleep at 9.30.
18:53I wake up at 4.30.
18:55So, I think I'm a…
18:56What do you do?
18:56Wake up at 4.30 and do what?
18:57I read, I read, I read scripts.
19:00I read as much as I can and I devour the world news.
19:05Exactly what you know more of, I try and do.
19:08So, whether it's the Hamas, the Houthi, the Hezbollah, everything going back to the
19:13Abraham Accord, the Belfar Accord, Israel, this, that.
19:16I try and read up on everything but not out of any other thing but just the interest
19:20that I have in this whole space.
19:23So, whether it's Brazil, whether Brazil is willing to hold our hand right now, you know,
19:27because they're at 50% with us or whatever's happening in Argentina or what's happening
19:31in Indonesia.
19:32I try and keep myself abreast with whatever's happening in the world including India.
19:37Producer, can we switch trade places, get John to the news tonight?
19:42I'd love to.
19:44I'd love to.
19:44And I can handle his football academy in Shillong.
19:47No, but why don't you do one thing?
19:48If you're looking for a football manager.
19:49You're a good looking man.
19:50I am not.
19:51Why don't you do, why don't you do a Diplomat Part 2 whilst I handle the news desk for a
19:57day?
19:57Yeah, I'm very happy to do that.
19:59I'm very, very happy to do that.
20:00But, John, I remember Karan Johar once, you had asked once, Karan Johar, why are you
20:06so clannish?
20:08That there was in one of his, I think it was Coffee with Karan Johar.
20:11Oh, I did ask him?
20:12That's what my researcher said.
20:14But this was a question that was asked by John.
20:16Okay.
20:16Is that John Abraham?
20:18Do you still feel an outsider in this film industry?
20:21Yeah.
20:21Are you still the outsider in a very cliquish, nepotistic film industry?
20:26So, I've never felt like the outsider, Rajdeep, to be very honest.
20:29And I've never said I'm the outsider.
20:31I don't believe in this debate of this nepo and I think it's honestly, it's done to death.
20:38So, I'm, and Karan, incidentally, is one of my closest friends.
20:41He's a nice guy.
20:42We don't work together.
20:43But he's a nice guy.
20:44Always hammered.
20:45But he's a good guy and we get along really well.
20:49But I've never considered myself an outsider.
20:51I'm a part of the industry.
20:53I'm a very proud part of the industry.
20:55But what I'd like to do is keep making different films.
20:59And that's the discouraging part because I just need more support from my studios to make the kind of films I want to make.
21:05That I feel bad about.
21:07Interesting you're talking about legacy all the time.
21:11In the early years, one of your legacies was that John Abraham, quite apart from the fitness mantra, made bikes also.
21:18Yeah.
21:18Hugely aspirational.
21:19Young Indians wanted to bike because John Abraham was biking in Dhu.
21:24Yeah, yeah, yeah.
21:25You've ever seen yourself as a bit of that?
21:27As this young Indian, millennial Indian's hero.
21:32Yeah.
21:32And therefore, the temptation always is that I've got to go back to doing that kind of cinema as well.
21:37Yeah, but I am doing a film on motorcycle racing.
21:39But in the space of a film called Rush, you know, it's a true story set in the Isle of Man, which is a small island between Ireland and England.
21:48And the race that happens there called the Isle of Man TT.
21:51So I am getting back to motorcycle racing.
21:53But my film is more in pursuit of happiness.
21:57You know, it's very cerebral, but it has motorcycle racing in it.
22:01So I want to get back to that space.
22:02You want to be Desi boy?
22:03You want to go global?
22:04I keep hearing these legacy stars also talking about how they want to bridge the divide between India and Hollywood.
22:10You've ever thought of that?
22:11You've got Hollywood looks, my friend.
22:13Yeah.
22:14No, I've been offered films from there.
22:16But obviously, I don't talk about them.
22:19I want to be a Desi boy going global.
22:20So in the sense, I want to make my films in India go international.
22:25And Tehran is actually one of them.
22:26It's a one hour, 49 minute film.
22:28And there's 50 odd minutes of Farsi in it.
22:31There's Hebrew in it.
22:32I learned the language for six months.
22:34So it's a very different kind of a film.
22:36And I think we're capable of going international.
22:38Most of your films, though, are very, if I may say so, male centric.
22:42It's either you and your co-stars also a strong male actor, whether it's an Akshay or a Abhishek.
22:47And the others that you've done films with.
22:50You ever thought of doing a film with a stronger sort of woman lead, maybe producing one such film?
22:56Is there a woman co-star that you've been most comfortable with?
22:59Not in recent times, Rajdeep.
23:02I can't think of a name that I would want to work with.
23:05But yeah, if you ask me, do I want to work with more female co-stars and producers?
23:11Yes.
23:12The answer is yes.
23:12Because they're very enterprising.
23:14The new lot is fantastic.
23:16But is there still a gender disparity somewhere in Hindi cinema where it's still the focus is on the big male actors?
23:25Or has OTT changed that world as well?
23:28That you're now getting women-centric themes more and more?
23:31Or is it still a very much a macho male-dominated industry?
23:35It isn't as much a macho male-dominated industry as it used to be.
23:40The lines have been blurred a lot to a large extent.
23:44And that's really encouraging.
23:46You know, John, you're sounding to me like a guy who's very well at complete peace with himself at the moment.
23:55Very happy in your own skin.
23:57But surely there must be some little kida out there.
24:02Something that is still driving you after all these years in the film industry.
24:07You're saying you're going to do just one film a year or just a couple of films a year.
24:10But is there something that you want to do?
24:12That you want to sort of once again tell the word, look, don't define John Abraham again only by the genes and the body.
24:18Yeah, I mean, I always want to do something different.
24:22Let me put it this way.
24:24My career has been built on my failures and not on my successes.
24:28Really?
24:29Yeah, yeah.
24:29Water was a film that went to the Academy Awards for the best foreign film.
24:33Didn't run a show in this country.
24:36No Smoking is probably one of my most favorite films.
24:39I'm a big fan of Kafka.
24:41So it was an alternate reality.
24:43No one could get a hang of it.
24:44I think it's the only film where the critics walked out.
24:47You know, and Kabul Express saw limited success.
24:51The Diplomat, my studio had no faith in the film.
24:54Madras Cafe, my studio head said this film is going to fail.
24:57But he went to collect the national awards at the end of the day.
24:59So my career has been built on my failures and on skepticism.
25:04And I work in that space and I work very well in that space.
25:07So I wait for people to say and tell me, hey, John, you can't do it.
25:12Hey, John, you're not worth it.
25:14That's what drives me.
25:15How do you and Priya relax?
25:17Um, I think we've got Bailey and Sia in the house.
25:21Our two little pups.
25:23And my calling in life is animals, Rajdeep.
25:25I love animals.
25:26So if you ask me if there's one thing I want to do in life is,
25:30and I think Mr. Ratan Tata did it to some extent.
25:33And God bless his soul.
25:34But I would want to take that further and I would want animals to have a voice in this country.
25:40And I said it once in a podcast and people were like, why did you say this?
25:45I mentioned, I made a statement saying women, children and animals are not safe in this country.
25:51And I said anybody who can have a debate with me on that and say they're safe, I'll give up this career.
25:56You know, it's interesting.
25:58Animal welfare, promoting football in Shalom plus the films you do.
26:02As we wind up, I find it interesting you're doing Tehran in the week of Independence Day release.
26:09There seems to be also an attempt by John Abraham to wear the flag, to do these patriotic films.
26:15In some form, films that are identified with patriotism as John Abraham understands it.
26:22How do you define your patriotism?
26:24You said you're not a political person in terms of being right or left.
26:27What does patriotism mean to John Abraham?
26:30I don't wear patriotism on my sleeve.
26:33I'm not jingoistic.
26:35I am patriotic.
26:36I'm not jingoistic.
26:37I have a love affair with my country, a secret, beautiful love affair with this beautiful place called India.
26:45And I try and get as much as I can through my films.
26:48And my films aren't necessarily, you know, chess-beating, jingoistic films.
26:52And I wouldn't do those.
26:53But my films do attempt to show the younger audience that we live in a country that is cool, that is the future.
27:03And I have hope in this country.
27:05I have hope that we are a democracy.
27:09I have hope that we'll go on and on.
27:11And I just hope for the best for this country.
27:14That's where I started off.
27:15Then with a name like John Abraham.
27:17Dilip Kumar had to change his name from Yusuf Khan to become Dilip Kumar.
27:22And we've had the last two or three decades where your top stars have all been Khans.
27:26Yeah.
27:27Salman, Shahrukh and Amir.
27:29And John Abraham.
27:30So, in a way, Hindi cinema does what perhaps society needs to do, which is be far more accommodative and inclusive and secular.
27:38And you don't differentiate between majority and minority.
27:40Correctly.
27:41Cinema does that.
27:42Yeah.
27:42And I'm the best example.
27:43I'm the best living example here that's so happy and surviving and not even surviving, surviving in the best possible way.
27:50I love the space.
27:51Your look is, you know, is this your new film look as well?
27:54Yeah.
27:55What are you doing now?
27:56What role are you going to play?
27:57I'm playing the role of…
28:00I'm not supposed to…
28:01Yeah, you don't have to speak over the film.
28:04What's this?
28:05This moustachioed role.
28:06Rakesh Maria.
28:07Oh, wow.
28:08The ex-commissioner.
28:09You're playing the ex-commissioner of Mumbai, Rakesh Maria.
28:11Yeah.
28:12That's a rather smart-looking Rakesh Maria, I must say.
28:15It's going to be good fun to watch that as well.
28:18But John, more power to you.
28:21Great to see that you're still going on strong as ever, more than a quarter, almost a quarter century.
28:26Yeah, 25 years since I started modeling, yeah.
28:2926 years.
28:30You've got to have a celebration for that.
28:32Yeah, man.
28:32It'll be fun.
28:33I'll have it with you on the next cover.
28:35You, me and Leander again.
28:36You, me and Leander again.
28:38We won't go down the route of what Leander and John have done and I haven't been able to do in life.
28:43And that's a very long list.
28:45But John Abraham, good to see you.
28:47The genes are still looking sharp.
28:49So are the kids and so is the body.
28:51So, keep going and may Tehran and all your films achieve much success.
28:56Yeah, and you're looking good and wish you good health.
28:58Thank you very much, my friend.
29:00And remember, if you're looking for a news anchor who'll lift your TRPs,
29:05you've got the man here, John Abraham.
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