You are as good or bad as your director: John Abraham

John Abraham’s portrayal of Jim in the film Pathaan has earned him the tag of fan favourite villain. Whether it’s the action sequences or the intense dialogue delivery, he is winning hearts in every scene. Post the success of the film, Abraham talks about the instructions given to him by the makers and how they played a huge role in the way his character turned out. Excerpts from the interview.

You got the opportunity to work with Shah Rukh after years. What did that feel like?

John Abraham: Honestly, I am actually surprised why he did not become an action star before. The confidence with which he performs the action scenes and the way he said ‘hit me’, it’s amazing. I was like ‘you are the national treasure… I can’t hit you  (laughs). I was scared that even if there would be a slight contact, I do not know what’s going to happen to me. After all, he has a huge fan following. But seriously, he was brilliant. He is not an actor anymore, he is an emotion. I used to feel I am an action hero, but I think he is the biggest action hero in the country at the moment.

Were there any special instructions that were given to you for the character of Jim?

John Abraham: I was briefed that Jim has to be cool. He can’t play it like a villain. And he is very intelligent. But besides that, the character was all planned and written meticulously. And for that I would thank the director and producer for projecting the character in that way. I always believe an actor is like a horse and a director is like a jockey. You are as good or bad as your director.

You have a great rapport with Aditya Chopra…

John Abraham: Yes and I would especially want to thank Aditya Chopra because of the way he positions me in his films. Whether it’s Dhoom, New York or Pathaan, I give all the credit to him.
I would also take this opportunity to thank my editor, writer, technician, screenplay people, cameraman, music composer Vishal Shekhar who have given fantastic songs. The way everybody in the production has mouthed the film, it’s fantastic. This film is going to be my biggest hit for a long time and that’s why it was very important for me to thank everyone.