The New Role Call

For a long time,John Abraham was seen as an urban hero,thanks to his stylish looks and chiselled body.

John Abrahams rise as an action hero post-Force could be a blessing in disguise for Desi Boyz as well

For a long time,John Abraham was seen as an urban hero,thanks to his stylish looks and chiselled body. He flexed his muscles and bared his torso but only on the serene beaches of Miami (read Dostana) or Goa (read Jism). His films too mostly catered to an audience which are termed as the multiplex crowd. However,in Bollywood,it takes just one film to change equations. And the recent blockbuster,Force,seems to have done it for Abraham.The actor has now joined the action brigade along with the likes of Salman Khan,Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar. The two main reasons for doing Force were that I wanted to get into action films and to establish my credentials in the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar belt, says the actor,who is currently enjoying mass appeal. His next,Desi Boyz a story of two boys facing the woes of recession will be aimed at a mass audience as well. It is directed by Rohit Dhawan,son of veteran filmmaker David Dhawan. Rohit carries his fathers legacy in the comic genre forward with this November 25 release. Ask Abraham if the success of Force will help his next,and he quickly retorts,When your time is good,all your movies work. Even your worst film becomes a blockbuster.

With formula films doing massive business at the box office,Abraham couldnt have wished for a better time for the tide to turn in his favour. It was on producer Vipul Shah and director Nishikant Kamats insistence that he took the plunge and he is happy that he hasnt disappointed with the film. I always had a very fixed fan following who watched my movies. But after a while in the industry,you want to grow as an actor and also want your fan base to grow, says the actor.

Manoj Desai,film exhibitor and owner of G7 multiplex in Mumbai,also believes that Force is Abrahams biggest opener to date. John has always done well with the urban crowd,but it was nice to see people at our theatre whistling for him,something that is mostly reserved for Salman Khan or Ajay Devgn, says Desai.Now that he has established himself as an action hero,Abraham obviously doesnt want to get rid of the tag. His upcoming movies such as Race 2 and Shootout At Wadala will make sure that he remains in the consciousness of the people. Shootout is more like Force,whereas Race 2 will be more slick action. However,this does not mean that he will neglect his urban fan base. I will continue to feature in movies catering to them,but the focus will be on the new fan base that I have now achieved, says Abraham.

Desi Beats

The cast of Desi Boyz Akshay Kumar and John Abraham along with their co-stars Deepika Padukone and Chitrangada Singh had come to Maya RLC on November 23 to promote the upcoming flick. Indifferent to the ‘A’ certificate or any political censorship,Kumar said,The film is based on a bold theme but is a completely desi film for a desi audience. Coming together after Garam Masala which released six years back,the boys seem to have had a ball on the sets. I have grown as an actor in these six years and also learnt a lot from Akshay all throughout. I can say that Akshay enjoys my company better now than during our Garam Masala days, said Abraham. Singh on the other hand claims to have stretched herself as an actor to bag a commercial role with Desi Boyz. When asked, what they think makes for a perfect desi boy the ladies looked towards the duo. They are the perfect desi boys,they respect women and are essentially mamma’s boys, commented Padukone.

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