John Abraham celebrates a hard-won battle; insists he’ll continue to back subjects he believes in but will be wary in picking who he works with
Roshmila bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 18, 2018)

Parmanu was a difficult journey but your confidence and conviction in the film seems to have eventually paid off…
Yes, today I feel vindicated, validated and relieved. I was clear about what I was making and that I wanted the film to release, come hail or storm because Parmanu was a special baby. The odds were stacked against us, we had just 10 days to promote the film which released during the IPL semis and finals, just two weeks after Raazi and a week before Veere Di Wedding. Had it had a smoother release, we might have done better business going by trade estimates, but I’m grateful to the media and the audience for their support. It’s so humbling when people say it’s my best film as a producer and my best performance as an actor that at times I don’t know how to react.

When you look back, what was the darkest phase in this journey?
When I realised this was a battle I had to justifiably fight alone. I’m a realist, I don’t expect anything from anyone, somebody had to raise their voice and I did. I’m thankful to the High Court and the judge for ruling in my favour, ensuring Parmanu saw the light of the day.

What’s happening with your erstwhile partner Prernaa Arora?
I have no idea and I don’t think the subject merits a discussion.

This was the first time you collaborated with someone who was not from the industry. Has the experience made you wary as far as choosing production partners is concerned?
Of course it has. But I am collaborating on RAW: Romeo Akbar Walter as an actor with Ajay Kapoor who was my production partner on Parmanu too and stuck by me to the end, which I really appreciate. We, as an industry, run to where the money is. But after my experience I will tell my colleagues to make sure they know exactly where the money comes from and more importantly, where it doesn’t come from. I’m a beggar for appreciation and money is just a by-product of the journey.

As a producer you’ve always gambled with films like Vicky Donor, Madras Café and now Parmanu, none of them safe commercial entertainers...
As a producer, I’ve always aimed to marry content with commerce and ensure that everyone in the distribution chain makes money. But at the same time, I want to explore subjects difficult to make because I’m not afraid of failure, so I can take risks. I’ll take full responsibility for the failure of any film made under my banner and if I’m successful, I’d like people to know that I went with my gut instinct. I’m prepared for the bouquets with the brickbats and here, I got the bouquets.

You did but after a hard-won battle against Prernaa. Has the experience put you off production?
Not at all, I also discovered that there are good people who back honesty and credibility. This has empowered me to back the kind of subjects I want to make even though I know I will face the regular creative questions with them.

For two years, you hardly accepted any acting assignments and now you are on an over-drive. You’ve wrapped up Satyamev Jayate, signed another Nikkhil Advani production, Batla House, kicked off RAW and then there’s a film with Rensil D’Silva based on the book, Moryaa Re: The Ganpati Murders...
First, let me clarify that I’m doing a film with Rensil which should happen by the middle of next year and I’m making a web series based on this book but that’s not with Rensil. Rensil’s film is a beautiful human story, around two years of research has already gone into it and anything that comes out of that will be special. RAW and Batla House are probably the most challenging films I’m doing, the subjects were too good to be missed.

What’s coming from your production house?
I’m co-producing Batla House with Nikkhil. After a long time I’ve found a friend, confidante, producer, director and now a partner in Nikkhil. I wanted to extend my association with him in every count because we’re very happy to be with each other. We are exploring other ideas too but for the moment there’s just Batla House and two web series.

From the films you are doing, one gets the impression that you have gone back to action?
Most of the films I’m doing right now are high-voltage dramas with a bit of action. Whether I do action or not, the image of an action hero stays and I’m happy with that. There’s a huge vacuum in the kind of action I do and I want to fill it with an intelligent emotional action film. We’re working on scripts. There’s a fantastic action series but that’s just an idea now.

What about taking the Force franchise forward?
Vipul (Shah) and I have been communicating regularly. Right now he’s busy with his film and we’ll know better once he is back. I want to take Force forward but it will depend on how we structure our deal from here on.

Hiren Kotwani (DNA; June 16, 2018)

John Abraham, who has a thriller, Satyamev Jayate, and action dramas RAW: Romeo Akbar Walter and Batla House lined up next, seems to be on the track to consolidate his association with these genres. More so, after the success of his last production venture — Parmanu: The Story Of Pokhran  — which was inspired by India’s 1998 nuclear tests.

When we caught up with the actor-producer at the success celebration of Parmanu and asked about his next production venture, he said, “I’ll be making an action film. It’s called Attack and will be directed by Lakshya Raj Anand (who was assistant director on Ek Tha Tiger).” When probed for more details, he smiled, “It’s too early to say anything more at this point.”

The actor, who has finished dubbing for Satyamev Jayate, also starring Manoj Bajpayee, will be co-producing Batla House with Nikkhil Advani. The action drama is based on the 2008 Batla House Encounter where Indian Mujahideen suspected terrorists Atif Ameen and Mohammad Sajid were killed in Delhi.

Contrary to recent reports of John signing Rensil D’Silva’s next based on the book Moryaa Re — The Ganpati Murders, John told us that he’s not acting in it. “I’m not acting in it. I’m producing it as a web series,” he divulged. As for his wish to do a comedy, the actor-producer said he’s waiting for the right subject to come his way. “Till then, I’ve some good movies lined up and I’m excited about them,” he concluded.

Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; June 11, 2018)

With Parmanu: The Story Of Pokhran having finally seen the light of day, John Abraham has now trained his sights on his forthcoming films. While the industry was abuzz with rumours of him collaborating with Kurbaan (2009) director Rensil D'Silva, the actor has confirmed to mid-day that he has greenlit the filmmaker's next. An adaptation of the novel, Moryaa Re — The Ganpati Murders, the film will see Abraham donning the cop's uniform again after his police officer turn in Nikkhil Advani's Batla House.

John Abraham says, "Rensil and I are collaborating for a film. It's a great script and we will start work on it next year." It has been learnt that the actor-producer has bought the rights of the book, which revolves around a psychopath who wreaks havoc in Mumbai by committing a series of murders during Ganeshotsav.

Besides wielding the directorial baton, D'Silva has also been entrusted with the big screen adaptation. "I have finished writing the script. We will soon start penning the Hindi dialogues. John will also produce the film. All I can say is it's an interesting thriller and is built on a certain personality," says D'Silva.

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; September 20, 2017)

John Abraham is drawn towards real incidents and stories. As a producer, he backed Madras Cafe and his next Parmanu based on the nuclear test in Pokhran, is yet another real life saga. And now he is planning a film adapted from Mark Manuel’s Moryaa Re — The Ganpati Murders, a crime thriller and lays claim to being the country’s first full-fledged police procedural.

A book adaptation
A little birdie reveals that John has acquired the rights to the book recently and director Rensil D’Souza will direct the film. Our source says, “John will produce and act in the film as a tough cop and Rensil D’ Silva will direct it.” The book is about a bipolar killer on a revenge mission who terrorises Mumbai during Ganesh Utsav with a series of gruesome murders of celebrities. And John is the cop after this killer.

Hard-hitting film
John likes hardcore action sagas and loved his role. Adds our source, “It’s a chilling thriller but there’s a lot of action and combat sequences too. This film is right up John’s alley.” Rensil and John had been planning to work together for sometime and this film is just the right fit. “Rensil and John had several meetings when he was shooting for Parmanu at YRF. The actor-producer told him what he wants and how he plans to mount the film. Rensil is currently designing the film according to John’s instructions.” John will start this film, right after The Invisible Guest remake.”