Bhubaneswar: For the macho charm, he had the dynamic screen presence in B-town in early 2000s. John Abraham, the action hero of Bollywood held his sway over cinegoers with films like Satyamev Jayate, Batla House, Race 2 and Welcome back.
John made debut in B-Town as a villain in the blockbuster film Dhoom, but soon emerged as the action star.
John Abraham’s upcoming movie The Diplomat is releasing on March 14. John will be seen in the role of a diplomat.
The movie revolves around how an Indian diplomat trying hard to repatriate an Indian girl from Pakistan, where she was presumably forced and deceived into marrying against her will.
The film is helmed by Shivam Nair. The story is written by Ritesh Shah. The film also stars Sadia Khateeb and Kumud Mishra.
The Diplomat with 5.6% popular votes is ranked at 7th in the IMDb's trending movies, Salman Khan Sikandar with 13.1% is ranked at 4th spot.
BOLLYWOOD STILL HIGH ON FORMULA FILMS!
Before the release of his movie, The Diplomat, the action star revealed that despite in the industry for 2-decades, he struggled hard to sell his films.
Speaking to press, John said, “My movies don’t follow the typical commercial formula with song-and-dance sequences. I don’t have a heroine dancing, which makes them harder to market. Most of the time my wife dies at the start of the film and I continue from thereon. It maybe that no one likes to see my face so much. I have a problem selling these films.”
The actor revealed that The Diplomat faced challenges in getting studio support. “I find it tough to convince producers to back my projects,” he disclosed.
The Diplomat marks his fourth film as a co-producer after Vicky Donor, Madras Café, and Parmanu – all considered risky before release.
JOHN RAISE A TOAST TO SOUTH FILMS
The Batla House actor said Bollywood need to emerge as a braver community, like the South.
“South is very brave. They follow their conviction and make those films. We need to get braver,” the star observed.
The action star said, “As a producer, I fought to secure funds for my projects. I ensured that my own costs don’t add pressure on a film’s budget because storytelling assumes important for me. However, studios remain hesitant about films like The Diplomat.”
The star said, “If the film underperforms at the box office, he will make no profit.”
JOHN FOR MEANINGFUL CINEMA
Notwithstanding, the grueling days of struggles, John says he is passionate about making meaningful films.
His next project Tehran is inspired by real events. The story revolves around an attempt on an Israeli diplomat’s life in 2013, at a time when India and Iran were building a gas pipeline.
He shared, “My character goes to Tehran to find out what’s happening. It’s not just geo-political, but also a beautiful human story. That space is so exciting, and I want youngsters to really see that and understand that India is a cool country.”
