Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; August 6, 2018)

The success of Parmanu: The Story Of Pokhran behind him, John Abraham is ready with his next offering, Satyameva Jayate. If his last outing was targeted at a niche audience, the actor- producer describes the upcoming actioner as “an out-and-out commercial Bollywood film with whistle worthy moments.”

However, Abraham is quick to add that its masala treatment notwithstanding, the film tackles pressing issues that the country faces today. “Right from Toilet - Ek Prem Katha (2017) to Raazi and even Parmanu, the past few months have seen releases that gave out important messages about our country. But of late, we haven’t made a patriotic film with whistle-worthy moments in it. So, this film talks about corruption, molestation and other issues, but in a commercial way,” says Abraham of the drama that sees him teaming up with Manoj Bajpayee.

From performing self-flagellation to ripping up tyres, Abraham has performed some high-octane action sequences in the film. The actor says that early on during the narration, he realised that the Milap Zaveri-directed venture was heavy on content and not purely an action fare. “This film reflects the anger of the common man. When I am bashing up people in the film, it is symbolic of the fact that we need to stop corruption. I am not endorsing violence. But, with this film, we are saying that the sophisticated way to tackle corruption doesn’t work these days.”

Abraham also recently wrapped up the first schedule of his next RAW: Romeo Akbar Walter, which sees him as an undercover agent. “We will be shooting across 80 locations, including Nepal and Kashmir. I have 18 different looks in the film. I am almost unrecognisable in some of them. As an actor, it is a delight to get such scripts that allow me to push my boundaries.”