Some films exploit hyper-political environments and religious divisions to make money as they lack the required “nuance or craft”, actor-producer John Abraham said on Tuesday.

Abraham, who recently starred in many geopolitical thrillers like Tehran, Parmanu and The Diplomat, added that films can be patriotic in a restrained and silent way without veering into jingoism.

"There are films that are patriotic that make a lot of sense...Not because I have done it, but The Diplomat is one of those films where you're not jingoistic, you're not beating your chest. But you are patriotic in a resilient, silent, and restrained way," the actor told news agency PTI in an interview.

Abraham slammed filmmakers who exploit the current sociopolitical climate for commercial success.

“Please understand and remember my words, I think we are living in a hyper-political environment where religion is dividing us very conclusively, which is not the most conducive environment to live in. Some films are taking advantage of that and bringing in the numbers. That's really unfortunate and it is a scary sight to see today,” he said.

While acknowledging that propaganda films will continue to be made, Abraham said that he believes in making responsible films which will leave a lasting impact on the audience. He added that box office success can also be obtained by making fun films like the 2023 Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Pathaan, which stars him as the antagonist.

In a previous interview with PTI, Abraham said that it is important to keep abreast of geopolitics because everything is connected.

“People say, 'what do we have to do with it? We only have to do with Pakistan'. That's not true. You need to understand what is happening in the geopolitics of the world to understand what is happening with India,” he said.

On the work front, Abraham recently starred in Tehran, a Maddock Films production streaming on ZEE5. The film draws inspiration from the 2012 bomb explosion near the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi. Directed by Arun Gopalan, the film features Abraham as ACP Rajeev Kumar.