Brawny Points

The bare basics aside, Abraham is also intruding on Shah Rukh Khan8217;s home turf. SRK loyalist Karan Johar has 8216;8216;spoken8217;8217; to Abraham for a possible lead in his next production venture to be directed by ex-assistant Soham Seth.

Johar sounds impressed. 8216;8216;He has fabulous screen presence.8221; The Chopras, too, have been charmed. He8217;s in Dhoom under the Yash Chopra banner, helmed by Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai director Sanjay Gandvi. Son Aditya is handling the casting, but Yash Chopra sounds more excited. 8216;8216;His appeal is different because he8217;s very unlike a typical Hindi film hero. He can play a lover boy, an obsessive lover and a cop with equal elan. He has range,8217;8217; prophesies Chopra senior.

Then there8217;s Deepa Mehta8217;s River Moon, Vikram Bhatt8217;s Elaan, Suneel Darshan8217;s as-yet-untitled next movie, Ahmed Khan8217;s Lakeer and the support of his security blanket8212;the Bhatts.

But, attired in his trademark V neck that frames those by now famous bronzed pectorals, the man is oblivious to the effect he8217;s having. Sitting in front of a mirror in his trailer van, Abraham8217;s getting his long locks ironed. From no angle does he look even the slightest bit like a Hindi film hero. His hair8217;s too long, he always sports a stubble and till date he hasn8217;t danced in any of his films. Plus there8217;s the stigma of being a model-turned-actor. Come on, even his name is so unlike a Bollywood hero8217;s.

He says he8217;s never been tempted to change it. 8216;8216;That never crossed my mind as I was a relatively successful model. And what8217;s in a name, it8217;s either good or bad,8217;8217; he grins, flashing that dimple.

Abraham confesses his acting anatomy is hardly Bollywood-esque either. 8216;8216;My style is more laid-back. I don8217;t act, I react. And unlike our actors, I8217;m uncomfortable making opulent gestures. Lakeer will be the first film where I shake a leg.8217;8217;

Is that a superior air? 8220;No,8221; says Abraham, though he does admit he never wanted to act. 8216;8216;I did my MBA and had a job as media planner in hand when Rahul Rawail offered me a film. I declined his offer but eventually said yes to Vikram Bhatt and Pooja Bhatt when they offered me Aetbaar and Jism, respectively.8217;8217;

His trademark stubble has been around since his debut. 8216;8216;People feel it adds age and maturity to my face. Clean-shaven, I look like a 21-year-old,8217;8217; says Abraham, 30.

Ask him if 8216;people8217; mean directors/producers or girlfriend Bipasha Basu, and a shy smile lights up his face. 8216;8216;I mean everyone.8217;8217;

But what is the status with Basu? The couple are pretty open about their affaire de coeur. Abraham puts it differently. 8216;8216;We neither hide nor deny it. We know people know we are a couple,8217;8217; he says casually. And then the man-in-love adds, 8216;8216;Whenever I get involved, I hope it ends in marriage. Bipasha and I are being cautious and practical and working hard at our relationship.8217;8217;

So, what8217;s the sweetest thing Bips has ever told him? It8217;s that shy smile again. 8216;8216;That I8217;m one of the most intense actors she8217;s worked with.8217;8217; And he ain8217;t saying more. How intense is he in real life? 8216;8216;I am an extremist and can also be violent.8217;8217; Abraham insists we hear him out. 8216;8216;My violence or anger is usually self-directed. When I get upset, I just pick up my bike 1,300 cc Suzuki and ride at breakneck speed.8217;8217;

Bikes are Abraham8217;s first love and Bipasha better understand. 8216;8216;I want to open a biking school. I want to live with bikes. Together with a pilot friend of mine, I want to ride all the way from Europe into India. I want to do this now at this age,8217;8217; exults Abraham who is equally passionate about football and vegetarianism 8216;8216;I gave up non-veg five years ago8217;8217;.

He also doesn8217;t touch alcohol. 8216;8216;I know it8217;s boring, but my favourite drink is carrot juice,8217;8217; he admits unapologetically. The drink might be boring but the chest certainly is not.