John Abraham 'I Cannot Be Norma, Normal Ids Boring'

Fighting the rains and meandering into the scary lanes of Mehboob Studios, was made up for by the interaction that followed. Sporting a grey t-shirt, black track pants and a pleasant smile, John Abraham stood completely in contrast to his bulky and intimidating aura. From giving health tips to discussing androids and ios, the conversation went on to films and the actor’s life beyond that. In the course of that, Nawaz Kochra realised that John wasn’t just someone who chose to keep a low profile and not attract controversies. He was also a man who had a heart, studded with the choicest of gems. And that today, is rare. Leading to the conclusion that they don’t make men like him anymore!

- Nawaz Kochra

Dishoom had action, thrill, comedy, and also romance. How difficult was it to work on a script which had a variation of so many genres collaborated in one?

I have done that in the past but separately, like Desi Boys, Garam Masala, Force, or a Rocky Handsome. But the beauty of Dishoom was that it wasn’t just an action film or a comedy film, but a combination of all these put together very intelligently by the director. Rohit (Dhawan) is the reason I did the film. He has a mind which is a beautiful mix of his father, and his own, so he caters to the masses. But at the same time, being a New York Film School guy, he has a very contemporary touch in whatever he does. To him, the primary reason to make a film is to tell a good story. If the story of Dishoom was told some years ago, it would have been absurd, but in today’s day and age, with the way things are happening, it was very relevant.

Were things different with Rohit directing you for the second time?

I’ve known Rohit since the time I did a film with his father, called Hook Ya Crook, and he was an assistant director on that film. Then I did Desi Boyz with him. He used to bounce scripts off me, but he was planning to make them with other actors, so our equation was very collaborative and easy. He used me as a sounding board and asked me how I found his scripts, and I would give feedback. In this process, he chanced upon this film about two cops and asked me to play one of them. And he was like ‘You know who the other cop is, right? He is the boy in the house’. That’s how Dishoom happened. Rohit and I get along very well and understand each other very well on camera too. There are some directors who present me very well and he is one of them. I would love to work with him again and again, but that is romanticising.