John Abraham, who turned producer with his 2012 film Vicky Donor, went on to produce movies like Madras Cafe, Parmanu, Batla House, and Attack, among others. He recently shared that the responsibility of choosing the right kind of films came to him after his father expressed disappointment in him as an actor. John recalled a time when he acted in a film, which his father didn’t approve of. “This really hurt me”, said the actor.
In a recent interview, John, who has been in the industry since 2003, shared the idea behind becoming a producer. “As a producer, I would pick up something that is completely sensible, but as an actor, I have gone completely wrong”, said the actor, while speaking to Humans of Cinema. Recalling an incident that shaped his choices, “I have done films that has gone horribly wrong where the audience judged the film and then judged me.”
He added, “My dad once watched a film of mine. Due to respect, I would not reveal the film’s name. But he watched it and said, ‘Son, don’t do a film like this. This will erode your equity.’ That hurt me a lot. But helped me learn. Does that mean that I will always select the good film? Not necessarily, but I will be careful. The idea is to tell good stories.”
Previously, in an interview with Ranveer Allahbadia, the actor had spoken in detail about his decision to become a producer. He shared, “Because the movies I was doing and the movies I was watching, I was not happy (with them). I wanted to change things… Everybody’s life has an X and a Y axis. A Z axis came into my life. Suddenly, people started seeing me as more than just a bulky guy. They began to believe that I had brains, too. They realised that I can make different kinds of films, like Vicky Donor, Parmanu, Batla House… The first defining point in my life was Jism, then Dhoom, and then when I became a producer.”