John Abraham is one of those actors who have been able to successfully carve a fairly off-centre path for themselves in the film industry, which boasts of a diverse mix of subjects in the capacity of a producer and an actor. The actor was launched in Bollywood in 2003 by Mahesh Bhatt and Pooja Bhatt in Jism. Since then, he has come a long way, charting a path that was unique. While the initial years were tough for John, films like Dostana, New York and Madras Café (which he also produced) turned the tide in his favour. This year, his movie Mumbai Saga was among the few films that saw a theatrical release. Satyameva Jayate 2, starring the actor, was meant to open on Eid this year, but was pushed ahead. Throughout his career, John has made the effort to stay relevant in an industry that’s fast-evolving, with plenty of new faces being launched each year.

Bring this up, and John says, “I’m only concerned about work. I have never been a part of rat races and have opted to work purely on instinct. Over the years, a certain space has come to be earmarked as mine. Sometimes, only the director and I have seen the films that I have been a part of, but that has not deterred me.”

Talking about other actors in the industry, who have a similar trajectory as his, John points to his Mumbai Saga costar Emraan Hashmi. Coincidentally, Emraan was launched in Bollywood in the same year as him by the Bhatts’ banner. He says, “Emraan and I are very similar in the way we are and the trajectories we have. I am secure in my space, and so is he, and that is our biggest advantage. We are far more relevant than we ever were.”

He adds, “We are now in a far more mature place as actors. We’re in that space where our audience does not float depending on what we’re doing. We have their trust. The audience will watch a Sanjay Dutt or a Salman Khan film irrespective of what they do, because their audience is fixed. It makes me feel great that, however small or big, we have a fixed audience. What is different about our careers is that over these years, while I had several action films, Emraan walked away with all the great songs.”