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Actor John Abraham spoke about embarking on a career as a film producer when he felt dissatisfied by the movies he was doing as an actor. He said that for several years, he didn’t have work because the industry had written him off. But things changed after he took matters into his own hands, and proved to the industry that he is more than just a chiselled action hero. In 2023, John starred as the villain in Pathaan, which turned out to be the biggest box office hit he has ever been a part of.
In an interview with Ranveer Allahbadia, John was asked why he decided to become a producer, and he said, “Because the movies I was doing and the movies I was watching, I was not happy (with them). I wanted to change things… Everybody’s life has an X and a Y axis. A Z axis came into my life. Suddenly, people started seeing me as more than just a bulky guy. They began to believe that I had brains, too. They realised that I can make different kinds of films, like Vicky Donor, Parmanu, Batla House… The first defining point in my life was Jism, then Dhoom, and then when I became a producer.”
Asked if he was happy during this transition, John said, “Yes, I’m always happy. I’m never insecure. Before Parmanu, when I didn’t work for four years, a lot of newcomers came into the industry. I was told I’m done, I’m finished, I’m out. When Parmanu was released, I didn’t even understand if I was in or out. It worked. Just keep working. Even when I was ‘free’, I never stopped working. Just work hard, people will see your honesty.”
John said that his first film as producer, Vicky Donor, was a highly unconventional choice that left people in shock. “I did Vicky Donor, which was a very different film. I remember when I told the studio that I want to do this film, there was silence. They were shocked. The film was a big hit, and I’m proud to say that the industry got such a wonderful, lovely actor in Ayushmann Khurrana.” Asked why he didn’t star in the movie himself, John said that it was simply because Ayushmann was a better choice.
John also spoke about how financing works in contemporary Bollywood, and said that producers don’t spend their own money on projects; they simply take projects to studios, who invest if they feel it makes sense to. “Every producer in our industry goes to a studio for money. The studio puts in the money, and the producer only puts the project together. Except for one producer, Yash Raj. There is no one who has the power to put their own money except Aditya Chopra,” John said.
John will be seen in the action-drama Vedaa, set for release on Independence Day, alongside the horror comedy Stree 2, and the Akshay Kumar-starrer Khel Khel Mein.
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