 |
John Abraham is on a high. And it’s understandable. The 40-year-old’s recent release Madras Cafe was praised not just by critics but is also a success at the box office. This, despite the film being anything but conventionally Bollywood. “The film has no songs. The hero is a wimp. He can’t save the Prime Minister. He doesn’t take revenge for the murder of his wife. I don’t take off my shirt,” he adds with a laugh.
t2 met John at his office in a tree-lined bylane in Bandra. Even a “pesky viral attack” can’t keep John from enjoying this unexpected success and planning “the next four films with Shoojit (Sircar)”. Over lunch that consisted of a mountain of steamed spinach and broccoli for him and a Moroccan Mint tea for me, John talks about why producing a film is more creatively satisfying, his “marriage” with director Shoojit Sircar and why stability in his personal life is important.
The subjects that you have chosen as a producer aren’t necessarily commercial. What spoke to you in the case of Madras Cafe?
Madras Cafe was offered to me seven years ago. Shoojit and I have lived through the process of trying to get this film made for a very, very long time. This is a subject that is very close to my heart... it deeply impacted me. I woke up one morning because my mom was drawing the curtain over my head and I felt some drops of water. I looked up and she was crying. It was May 22, 1991. I asked her what happened and she said, ‘Rajiv Gandhi was killed last night.’ I was 18 and fairly impressionable and that impacted me. I remember the cover of newspapers and the news magazines. Those images are ingrained. When I was offered the film, it felt like I was reliving that time. I remember when I went on the set to shoot the climax, and that was the first time I saw the characters and it sent shivers down my spine. The casting was so impeccable and even though I was involved in picking those actors, seeing them in that environment was scary.
Madras Cafe is the first film which you produced and acted in. Was the experience any different from Vicky Donor?
I remember when I was making Vicky Donor, people didn’t want to meet Ayushmann (Khurrana). I had to don the star hat to market the film and Ayushmann and to convince them that he is amazing in the film. I didn’t face that problem with this film.
How hands-on are you as a producer?
Completely. From the conceptualisation to casting, post- production and the positioning of the final product. I am very proud to be so involved because I have a great partner in Shoojit.
 |
As a creative person, is producing films more satisfying than acting in one?
Oh absolutely! An actor is a means to an end. As a producer, you are like the father of a child. You nurture the film. The actor is just a micro part of the whole process. I don’t mean to be condescending. Shoojit and I want to make films and not ‘proposals’. You’ll get heroines who will dance in five songs, but will you get a sensible film? It is difficult. There is a quality-conscious cinema audience that one has unearthed with a film like Madras Cafe and that gives you the push to continue the journey.
The film has also got a lot of love from your fraternity…
…It’s been unbelievable and I didn’t expect it at all! Like in the case of Vicky Donor, the appreciation from all quarters — actors, directors, distributors — has surprised me. And there has been praise for me as an actor as well, which is very gratifying. I am told by many that this is my launch point! (Smiles) The director fraternity has been so amazing. They are a really cohesive lot. We had a screening that had Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Nikhil Advani, Nishikant Kamat, Sujoy Ghosh and Anees Bazmee. They all hugged Shoojit and me after the film. It was so encouraging!
What works in your relationship with Shoojit?
I think we are both transparent with each other. It helps that we like the same kind of cinema. We are on the same page on every aspect of filmmaking. If you ask Shoojit, he will tell you that this is a marriage that is working so far. And hopefully, we will not divorce!
Did the protests in the south hurt the film financially?
It did. We would have done Rs 8-9 crore more if we had not been banned. But more than that it hurt because I thought we made a very fair and honest film that didn’t really take any sides. If you see the film carefully, it is very pro-Tamil. This is the problem with our country. For a political agenda, people blow things out of proportion.
There are people saying things like John is a better producer than an actor. How do you react?
With Madras Cafe, I have broken even (laughs). And I couldn’t be happier. My physicality has always preceded everything I have done. Yes, there was a point when I was more concerned about my body and how I looked. Today, I have probably matured because I am not that concerned. I am not apologetic about it but neither will I obsess over it. If the world has an eight pack, I might have a 10 pack but it doesn’t matter. Today, content-driven cinema has become the focus of my career. In the long run, it won’t be about how I look but what I present to the world. Production will definitely take precedence over acting at some point. But for the next five-six years, I will do hard-core commercial films.
 |
You produce a Madras Cafe and sign a Welcome 2 around the same time. There is a dichotomy there...
It is important to strike a balance. I am an unapologetic fan of slapstick comedy. I loved Welcome, so I am doing Welcome 2. Also, films like these get in the numbers. I have been thrashed by everyone for saying this but all 100-crore films are not great. And let me remind you that I have two films (Housefull 2 and Race 2) in this 100-crore club. When are we going to stop being caricaturish to our audience? When are we going to go beyond ‘song and dance Bollywood’? (Does his best American accent) But I will slowly progress to doing more films like Madras Cafe. Shoojit and I are planning four more films together of which I will be acting in two. These will be even more explosive than Madras Cafe.
Are your criteria for picking a script different as a producer and as an actor?
Soon they will be the same. I would have loved to produce a Dostana 2. It’s a fun and urban film. But would I produce a Housefull 2 or Race 2? No. That’s not my space. I will soon act only in the kind of films that I will be producing. But realistically, that’s not all that I can do at this point in time. I am happy doing a Welcome 2. My next is with Nishikant Kamat, a director whose work I have loved for years. We did Force together. After that is a film with Shoojit. Madras Cafe is just about touching Rs 50 crore. I will make films like this a 100-crore business.
You are involved with such a wide range of films, what were some of your earliest influences in cinema?
I’ll tell you the more recent influences. I saw Schindler’s List (directed by Steven Spielberg) and I walked out of the theatre disturbed. The film stayed with me for a very long time. Roman Polanski’s The Pianist, Life is Beautiful, Cinema Paradiso and Majid Majidi’s films. George Clooney’s Syriana inspired me. He is a really good-looking man making serious cinema. Why can’t we do that here?
Is film direction the next step for you?
There are stories I want to tell. But before I take the plunge, I have to learn the craft a lot more. But yes, I will eventually become a director. I don’t know if I would make a good film or not.
It’s been a very successful couple of years professionally for you and it’s coincided with a new love in your life.
Actually, ya. I met Priya (Runchal) around the time I was finishing Force. And since then, six of my seven films have done well. I have started making my mark as a producer. There is stability in my personal life that reflects in my career. It has helped me explore what I could do professionally because I knew that I wasn’t alone. Someone has my back.
