Hiren Kotwani (DNA; August 8, 2018)

John Abraham has cracked the code on how to make a place for himself under the Bollywood sun and shine. The success of Parmanu: The Story Of Pokhran won him accolades and also got him good numbers at the box office. Remind him of the legal woes he had to fight for it and he says, “While bigger movies have come and gone, Parmanu is still playing in theatres. That is the film’s calling; people know its strength. The respect it has given to me as an actor and producer is great.”

Now, he’s trying to carve a niche for himself with his Independence Day-release titled Satyameva Jayate, in which he plays a vigilante. Over a cuppa coffee, we chat about his line-up of movies and why his wife Priya Runchal stays away from media glare. Excerpts…

At a time when vigilantism is being questioned, aren’t you apprehensive of playing a vigilante in Satyameva Jayate?
We made the movie because we loved the idea. We’ve seen India-centric films for too long. I think the audience wants to watch commercial movies now. Satyameva Jayate has action, drama, romance, dialoguebaazi and the Dilbar song. People want paisa vasool entertainment and this movie gives them just that.

The 1970s and 80s saw a splurge of anti-establishment films in which the hero fought for the rights of the common man. Do you see Satyameva Jayate as your take on that genre in present times?
Through my character, it’s me venting the anger and frustration that I have against what happens in the society. I read about atrocities against women, rapes, bribery, corruption and animals being butchered. What do I do? Satyameva Jayate satiates my desire of giving it back and the audience watching it will feel that the character is doing what they would like to do. So, for some people, it’s aspirational. But at the same time, it doesn’t send out any wrong idea. Yes, it has a social message, but we have laced it in a commercial manner.

Just as movies that were made on the underworld were perceived as glorifying crime and gangsters, don’t you think this film will be seen as propagating vigilantism?
I feel sometimes people should take matters into their own hands. But this movie isn’t propagating that. It doesn’t make any tall claims. It’s a simple commercial entertainer. When people don’t get the justice they feel they deserve, how do you suggest they fight for their rights? While there are dishonest people in the system, I believe there are honest people, too. Like Manoj Bajpayee’s character, Shivansh, in this film is an upright police officer. When I was stuck during Parmanu, I went to the system. Justice Kathawalla, who heard my case in court, did justice, fair and square. With Satyameva Jayate, we are reaching out to the dishonest people. I’m not a crusader against the corruption in the system. The trailer clearly says that anyone who is dishonest and harms any woman will face my wrath.

You’re working with Manoj Bajpayee after Shootout At Wadala.
I’m a huge fan of Manoj. He brings credibility to the film, and gravitas to his character. He fits the character perfectly. And when someone like him comes on board, everyone’s level of performance goes a few notches higher.

What was the common factor over which both of you bonded so well?
As much as we choose not to believe it but both of us know that we come from outside the industry. We kept telling each other that we need to do this (film), we empathised with each other. He will always be really high up there for me.

Is your approach to your role different while working with an actor like Manoj?
You feel fortunate because when you are working with someone like him, you learn a lot. He is an inspiration, an institution. As an actor, I’m greedy. So, when I share the screen with actors like Mr Amitabh Bachchan and Manoj Bajpayee, anything that I see them doing, I grab it and learn from it.

With Satyameva Jayate, Romeo Akbar Walter and Batla House coming after Parmanu, it seems a series of nationalistic subjects have caught your attention.
With Satyameva Jayate, we have addressed issues. Batla House is based on a real-life incident and RAW, which is also inspired by true events, is one of the most compelling stories I’m doing. Why am I gravitating towards them? Well, I just look at good scripts and coincidentally, these stories came in this space. I’m also doing a comedy. If you see my filmography over the years, I’ve tried to do different things. Whether I failed or succeeded, I’m never going to be in the same zone for long.

What prompted you to produce Batla House with Nikkhil Advani?
We think alike. If there is another brutally and blatantly honest person in the film industry, then it’s Nikkhil. We decided to do more work together and it’s just a meeting of minds. We get along on many different levels. And it’s not necessary that we have to speak to each other about something, a lot of what we understand between ourselves is unspoken. A combination like that is very potent in our industry and we’d like to exploit that.

But you two didn’t exactly stay in touch post Salaam-E-Ishq (2007)?
Yes, we hadn’t stayed in touch for the longest time. When director Milap Zaveri narrated Satyameva Jayate to me, I asked him who’s producing it. Nikkhil told him that if I was keen to do so, then he would let go. But I insisted that Nikkhil back it and I would act in it.

You’re also doing John Mathew Matthan’s sequel to Sarfarosh (1999)?
Yes, John Mathew and I are collaborating on the film. The script is still in the development process. There’s nothing more that I can say about this at this point.

How do you look back at the legal wrangle over Parmanu while others are still fighting their respective court battles with the co-producer?
It is important to clean the dirt out of the system. I thank Justice Kathawalla for his handling of the matter. I feel bad for the others. I had the guts to say things as they are. It’s good to be honest and bear its fruit.

While you’ve talked about your wife being your strong support, can you tell us about her role in your company?
Priya is dignified and keeps herself away from the public glare. She handles our football team, NorthEast United FC, by herself and that also involves spending Rs 40-50 cr a year. That’s like producing two films. She is a great support system and a nice, affable person. We can talk for hours on any subject and it’s great listening to her views.

The major reason is that you’re not seen when you don’t have a movie for release and she stays away from the spotlight.
We choose to keep it that way. She has her own interests. There are a lot of verticals running parallel in our company JA Entertainment. We’re looking at startups, she’s concentrating on that and aggressively looking at it. With her degree at the University of California, Los Angeles and work experience at World Bank, she has got more qualifications than I’ve got (smiles).