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'I want to stop doing pseudo crap'
John Abraham gives great insights to his life and films to Ronjita Kulkarni. Read on
http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2007/jan/31slide1.htm
Did you expect an Oscar nomination for Water?
No, I did not expect anything. But when the nominations were announced, it made me feel very good. It will make me feel better if the film wins. When I saw the film for the first time at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, and saw women sobbing around me, I realised what we had done. Canadian director Atom Egoyan (Where the Truth Lies) had come up to me and said my performance was good. I will do anything in my capacity to promote Water. I will follow the orders of director Deepa Mehta and producer David Hamilton. The three of us have been on the phone almost every day. Deepa has been doing interviews there (in Canada); I'm doing interviews here. I will be going to London to shoot for UTV's next film, tentatively titled Goal. So I've been given a list of things to do in London (to promote Water). Water is Canada's entry to the Oscars, not India's. Did you expect that? Being an Indian, I want this film to be called an Indian film. But you must give credit where it is due. Unfortunately, Lage Raho Munnabhai and Rang De Basanti did not make to the Oscars. Fortunately, Water did. Tell us about your TIFF experience. I met directors Atom, Steven Sodenberg (Ocean's Eleven), Tim Burton (Chalie And The Chocolate Factory), actor Samuel Jackson -- you meet the who's who of Hollywood there -- they were so receptive towards the film. Do you expect movie deals from Hollywood now? I don't look at Hollywood as a graduation from the Indian industry. I'm very patriotic. I would rather do an Indian film that goes global than beat my chest and do a Hollywood film. đI would do a Hollywood film only if the role is important, if it has an Indian or Middle Eastern subject. But I do not want to play a stupid Middle Eastern or Indian character in a Hollywood film because I find that demeaning.
Any anticipation while shooting for the film in Sri Lanka?
When I was shooting for Water, I was shooting for Dhoom as well. So you can imagine how long ago we shot for it. Deepa did not want anyone to know that we were shooting for Water. You know what transpired what before that. The shoot (in Sri Lanka) was very smooth; it went on without a break. Deepa was very disturbed (about what happened to the film when she shot it for the first time). But when she started shooting it again, she was like a child looking into the video assist. She was completely immersed in it. There was no talk of the anguish she went through earlier. How did you prepare for your role? I had to go to a workshop before we started shooting. I had to learn how to play a flute, wear a dhoti, recite Sankrit shloks... I had to stop walking like John Abraham and walk like Narayan. I returned to India for five days in between to shoot the climax for Dhoom. So you can imagine the change of mindsets I had to have -- from leather biker pants to dhotis! It was a challenge but it was super! Any tough scenes? There was a scene Lisa (Ray) and I shot by a lake. Lisa asks me, 'Are you married?' I say 'No.' So Lisa asks me who all are at my home, and I say, ma, dad... But Lisa and I got into a laughing fit, and we just could not stop. It's a serious scene, but we could not stop giggling!
You have done all kinds of films: action, romantic, comedy... Which genre do you like the best?
Let me tell you what films I don't like to do. I don't like doing films that are 'proposals.' People say that this is an insurance film with a big star cast, and will be an assured hit. I have done films like this where big names and casts have been dropped in front of me, and they have failed.(Baabul,SEI) I have made this mistake. But I will not do them again. I will do smaller films, films with big ideas. I don't have the backing of a father in this industry who will push me onto a big-budget film. đ I'm doing films like Anurag Kashyap's No Smoking, Sriram Raghavan's Happy Birhtday, Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar, Nagesh Kukunoor's Aashayen and Vivek Agnihotri's Goal. I want people to enjoy my films. I want to stop doing what the industry tells me to do. I want to stop doing pseudo crap! I want to do good cinema. Maybe I will get a smaller audience than most of the mega actors here but I know my audience will grow. Do you know what has pushed me forward in these years? Not the industry. The industry has been there, the media has been gracious, but my audience has really stuck behind me. That is why some people in the industry keep wondering how I keep coming back. It's because of my audience.Of course, I would like to do big banners films as well, as long as they have sensible ideas. But there is this lot of people who do only regressive stuff. I look at it from the outside and wonder whether I have the choice to do something else. Sometimes, I succumb to them but I know that I have the choice. I have come up till here on my own. I have had the guts to say no to big people. And if I have the guts to do that, I have the guts to do what I want in the future.
What did you think of Salaam-e-Ishq?
Not once did I think that my character or track with Vidya Balan would get lost in the film of six stories. I saw the film the day it released in INOX. That was the first time I watched it. I didn't know what the other tracks were about; I just knew mine. I was curious to know how it would fit in. Director Nikhil Advani has done a brave job. Yes, the problem is with the length of the film. I have to admit that. Had the length been shorter, it would have been more enjoyable. Everyone's been harsh about the film but I stand by my director. You seemed quite comfortable with Vidya.Yes, we are because we come from a similar background. We relate to each other. And the chemistry shows in the film.
Which is your favourite film till date?
Jism. Mahesh Bhatt got me totally in that character. After that would be the forthcoming No Smoking and Aashayen. I'm learning through each film of mine. I'm not a fly by night operator. I want to stay here for a long time. So I want to master the art well so that my audience enjoys every second of my movies! Who are you favourite costars? Bikes! And then, the animals (laughs). Jokes apart, my favourite costars are Mr (Amitabh) Bachchan, Nana Patekar, Seema Biswas, Akshay Kumar. These are very talented actors. But my most favourite costar is Sanjay Dutt. He is the handsomest man in the industryđ. After Mr Bachchan, he's the only man who can walk into a room and make heads turn. Also, there is Arshad Warsi. He's great fun! He's the only actor I have hung out with after pack up. We are totally in love with each other. That's why we're doing another film together (Vivek Agnihotri's Goal). What about Bipasha?Bipasha is a superb costar. And it's not because I'm seeing her that I'm saying it. All her other costars would say the same.
What do your parents think about your film career?
My mom watches all my films, first day first show. She's very critical, and gives me feedback. My father is more in his own space. He has just about started taking an interest in my films. My connect with my audience is that I'm a middle-class boy who has made it. So they feel that if John Abraham can, why can't we? My USP is not my body, face, hair or acting. It is that I've come out of nowhere and I've made it. And that's what I give back to the audience: the power to dream and think that they can do it just as I did. How has life changed? I became a star in just three and a half years. In this time, life has not changed in the way I live. It has changed in the way other people think of me. I live in a one-room house in Bandra. It's about 400 square feet, on top of a terrace. When people sit on my sofa and ask me where my other room is, I tell them that the sofa is where I sleep. ^^^^Now THAT's TRUE Humilityđ They get embarrassed and look around to see if I'm joking. And they see a wardrobe in the corner. And yes, that wardrobe has my pillows and my bedsheets. People find that odd but it makes me real. I don't need more space. What is luxury? For me luxury is having a gym close by and eating good food. And I'm doing that. Of course, I love my bike as well. That's my biggest indulgence. I ride to my gym whenever I can.
He's got his priorities right,Like Ayeshađ...He's smart,hasnt let the adulation get to him...And the MOST humble STARđ
DO share your views pleaseđ
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