BEING JOHN ABRAHAM

THE MACHO ACTOR GETS INTO A LONG AND CONFIDING TETE-A-TETE WITH JITESH PILLAAI

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Talking to John Abraham comes easy because I’m just like him, minus the abs, of course. Jokes apart, he's such a sorted individual that you want to buy a halo and gift it to him. In fact, my art director should photoshop it in his pics. Behind all his machismo, all his talk of superbikes, breathes a Malayali or to be precise, half-Mallu Christian-half-Parsi lad who's in awe of Mohanlal and Mammootty. He is self-aware that he's never going to reach their lofty heights when it comes to acting. He could have been an architect like his father or a marketing professional, since he's an MBA in marketing. Destiny drove him towards modelling and acting. He's one of the fittest actors around for sure and leads a disciplined life, away from social media's ferris wheel. His most recent release, The Diplomat, saw him utilise his acting chops more than his brawns, surprising his fans. He knows reinvention is the name of the game and has made enough of a name for himself to do things on his own terms. So he doesn't hold back as I ask:

You've done a film called The Diplomat. How diplomatic are you?

I used to be smart and diplomatic with my answers but I've become more unfiltered over time. Now, I say things as they are. I've become braver and more outspoken, sharing what I truly want to say.

What attracts you to a director?

I get to know the director while working with them. There are certain directors I've kept working with over time because we simply get along as people, like Abhishek Sharma, Sanjay Gupta and Nikkhil Advani. It's not about their commercial success or failure, I just genuinely enjoy working with them and would love to do so again.

Have you been bullied in your career?