John Abraham believes more in critical success!

He is one of those men who make you go all weak in the knees!! This hot and handsome hunk has proved himself as an actor and can also be labeled as a successful producer after the hit film, Vicky Donor. Gearing up for the release of his second offering - Madras Caf, in which he also acts, he's in his producer mode'. In a conversation with Manisha Pradhan Singh of Namaste Times, producerJohn Abraham speaks about his ambitious film, Madras Caf and the kind of films he believes in'..

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Your first production Vicky Donor was a very unconventional film that got rave reviews. What kind of a film is Madras Caf?

Madras Caf is a very special film and it's the best 2nd film we could do. The film has been in the planning since the last 6 to 7 years. It's a story inspired by incidents in the late 80's - early 90's.The younger generation do not know what happened. It is very important for them to know what transpired in history. Our Indian history stops at 1947, unlike countries like America etc. It is important to educate an audience.

What kind of a budget has gone into making the film?

You will be surprised because the film looks massive like a 50 crore film, which actually it is not!

Do you think that a film like Madras Caf would actually interest the audience of today?

Agreed, that it's mostly the commercial kind of films that actually do well in our country. I've worked in a number of commercial films too but it is important to make a film like Madras Caf too. As a producer it is important to make different kind of films and honestly I am not interested in commercial success as much as I am in critical success!

Talking about non-commercial films, the recent release, D Day, too was somewhat a non-commercial film, but it did not do that well. What do you have to say about that?

D-Day was made for a specific audience and I agree that it did not do that well but that does not make it a bad film! Likewise all 100 crore films are not great films!

How was the experience of shooting a political thriller like Madras Caf?

Shooting Madras Caf was obviously different from Vicky Donor, but the most difficult experience was the weather!! The weather in Cochin was horrible! The food was amazing! I had to look like a regular guy so I was asked not to work out and just look normal, like a human being. I am not the hero of Madras Caf but a character.All the characters makes this film. The beauty of Madras Caf is the casting.

I read somewhere that a Tamil outfit had sought a ban on Madras Caf for portraying the members of the LTTE. How true is that?

The film is not anti-Tamil or anti-Sri Lanka. It's anti-establishment. The Tamils will appreciate what we've done. Shoojit, my director has done research for almost 6 years and it's an honest content!

Now that you have been successful as a producer, do we see you directing too?

I am interested in directing but I do not know when I will direct. But whenever it is, I would like to work with new talent. There is so much of talent and I wonder why studios don't support new actors for the big budget films.The studios only want to work with the top five actors! When are we going to mature? Our industry is still an opportunistic industry. If I direct a big budget film, I will do it with newcomers.

Is it more difficult being an actor or being a producer?

( Smiles his charming smile!) It's definitely more difficult being a producer, since you've put your money in it!!Also as a producer, it's important to tell a story.

You're a successful actor and now a producer, what is it that has helped you to reach this far?

Education! Yes, please mention that when you write the interview! Because I want all the youngsters to know that it is the most important and if you give importance to education, you can achieve anything!

How do you keep fit, considering the fact that you have to keep putting on weight and losing weight as per the requirement of your films?

I just lead a very healthy lifestyle. I sleep early, I wake up very early and train in the gym for almost 3 hours every day. I am a boring kind of a guy, all my friends say so. It's not about biceps and six pack abs. If you can understand your body, then it's not very difficult to keep fit!

Since your dad is from Kerala, do we see you doing films down south?

I am very proud of the fact that I am half Mallu, but the thing is I cannot speak Malayalam. However, I love their cinema I think it's superb and they have so much depth.

What are your other films in the pipeline?

My next is a film called Hamara Bajaj, which again stars Ayushmann Khurranna. Another film which is in the pipeline will be directed by Arshad Sayyed. As an actor, I will be doing Nishikant Kamat's film and I am training hard to do that film! It's a criminal action film!