A dashing actor and a super successful producer who has upped the standards of Bollywood cinema, John is as intelligent as he is good looking. He’s walks into the press conference at the Le Meridien Dubai with director Nishikant Kamath towering over most of us and charms us all. He first watches the trailer of Rocky Handsome that is inspired by action thriller Man From Nowhere and then steps onstage to address the UAE media that is interestingly nearly all women. He dimples, he smiles and blushes at all the attention. Quite deservedly! Manju Ramanan chats him up! Rocky Handsome releases tomorrow March 24th in the UAE.
Does your MBA help you today?
It does. I can plan myself better and organize my production work apart from my acting that has nothing to do with MBA ( Smiles). Also I have more control over my role if I am producing the film I am acting in. I feel safe about it.
What is with the colour yellow. Your famous yellow trunks, the yellow smiley your co-star paints on your finger nail in Rocky Handsome, even the flowers at the press con…
Laughs! That is a splendid observation. I think, I should start wearing yellow from now on. It seems to be lucky for me. I can start with wearing yellow shoes! (Laughs)
Are you careful about stunts today considering what happened in New York?
(Looks at Nishikant Kamath and explains) In New York, I was in the middle of scaling down a skyscraper and was at the 54th floor. I had suction pipes and all safety material around me but just then, we got to know that President Obama was passing by and we all had to stop what we were doing. I was hanging mid air and if I moved I would turn upside down and that was the only way I could be brought down. So I held on for 2 hours. The only thought I had then was, I want to reach the ground safely. My hands were hurting but what could I do? I just had to hang on there! No, it wasn’t filmed.
So all your best scenes aren’t really filmed?
No! No!. The best scenes are the ones in Rocky Handsome and they are all filmed.
You have said that action scenes in Rocky Handsome could be equated to item songs?
Yes, each action sequence has been orchestrated beautifully by Nishikant and I have trained in each one of them.
Who are the fittest Bollywood actors today apart from you?
Akshay Kumar is the fittest I feel and Varun Dhawan too. From Rocky Handsome there are these two girls Natalia Kaur and Nora Fatehi who are super fit. I find Jacqueline Fernandez extremely fit too!
For more read the April edition of Filmfare Middle East