John says he's just a middle-class guy

Source: Sify.com

Bollywood heartthrob John Abraham is a box-office star, but he cares little for money and clings to the values passed on by his middle-class parents, a report said Sunday.

Abraham, 32, made his debut in Indian films three years ago. His first box office hit was "The Body," followed by "Dhoom," in which he led a gang of bikers who robbed Bombay's wealthy businessmen.

"Money is not my motivation at all," Abraham was quoted as saying by The Times of India newspaper. "I know that I can have three meals a day. Even if I earn a lot more, I can't have 10 meals a day, right?"

Abraham said his attitudes were shaped by his Syrian Christian father, an architect, and Iranian mother, a basketball teacher, who taught him integrity, self-respect and honesty.

"My dad still takes the bus. I offered to buy my mother a car and she said, 'We don't need your money, I have always traveled by train and I still will'," he said. "And I too can say with a clear conscience that I've never stood at any director's doorstep and begged or lobbied for work."