I’ve mastered the art of understanding audiences: John Abraham

Actor prefers role that has an edge and considers his middle-class upbringing useful.

NEW DELHI: The role has to have an edge, says John Abraham, who made sexy look sexier in Jism and grey even greyer in New York. After a decade in movies, the Bollywood heartthrob believes his middle-class roots have helped him balance his personal and professional life.

“I have grown up in a middle-class family; so my value system and lifestyle are also very regular,” John, who features in the just released Race 2, told IANS in an exclusive interview.

When it comes to chosing roles, he is very clear that he doesn’t “like being normal, romantic ‘pyaara sa gaata rehta hai’. The role has to have an edge.”

“I have mastered the art of understanding what my audience wants... I know how to add that extra edge to a character,” he added.

John, who turned producer with the super hit comedy Vicky Donor, doesn’t want to stick to “funny” films. His next film “could be a political thriller like Madras Cafe and a human story like Humara Bajaj.”

In a candid chat, the 40-year-old actor reveals his fascination for negative roles, his aspirations as a producer and why he chooses to stay away from the party circuit. Excerpts:

Negative roles

“From Jism to New York, Zinda to Dhoom and now Race 2 and Shootout at Wadala, all my roles had shades of grey... I think I like that space. I don’t like being normal, romantic ‘pyaara sa gaata rehta hai’. The role has to have an edge. Someone saw me in Race 2 and said ‘bad has never looked so good’ and I think that is the plus point,” he said.

Perks of middle-class upbringing

“I have grown up in a middle-class family, my value systems are very regular. My lifestyle is very regular. So whether I am a star or not, my lifestyle still remains normal and it won’t affect me. I train my mind to understand that I am like any other normal human being and I am no different from anybody else; that is it,” John said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2013.              

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