John Abraham spoke to S Raj about his football team, North East United FC, which is only focussing on players from the northeast
When he first forayed into Bollywood with Jism, John Abraham got nominated for the Filmfare Best Debut Award. When he vroomed past hapless cops in Dhoom, John showed us his famous wispy locks and love for stunt-biking and his style triggered a rage in the entire nation. John Abraham is known not only as a successful model and a versatile actor but in the recent past, he has also made a mark as a producer par excellence with a penchant for offbeat but socially relevant subjects, Vicky Donor and Madras Cafe are the examples. The only aspect that binds all the diverse occupations is a never-ending zeal for perfection and whole-hearted dedication to the task at hand. John is soon going to be seen in reality television space as are his next projects. The actor was recently here to inaugurate Toni & Guy salon in South Extension-II. He looked dapper in casual black and emphasised on the importance of hair care and fitness.
“As far as my personal hair care regimen is concerned, I use basic stuff like shampoos and conditioners and go for manicure and pedicure, unless I’m shooting in unfavourable conditions where I need to take few precautions. But I suggest youngsters that being hygienic is most important factor,” shared John who himself “has an OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)” when it comes to cleanliness or hygiene. He added that working out is worship for him. “I think one should follow fitness as a religion. Being fit comes with its own perks. I go to gym the way people go to church. When I was growing up there were no actors whom I could look up to because they were all larger than life. When I decided to become an actor, I wanted to be stylish and concentrate on my fitness. I feel there is nothing more important than health and workout and one should take care and nurture the body we’ve been blessed with.”
Football has been a part of his DNA since childhood. He has been a good player and there was a time when he even aspired to play for the country. The actor has recently invested in a football team and is also a co-owner and brand ambassador of a hockey franchise, Delhi Waveriders. Super excited about his football team, North East United FC, which will participate in the soon to be launched Indian Super league, John said, “Unlike other teams, ours is not city-specific. It is about the entire Northeast, so it unites the entire region.”
John also opened up on his forthcoming projects, both as an actor and producer. The actor who is usually seen as an action hero is making a comeback in the comedy genre (after Housefull 2) with multi-starrer Welcome Back (sequel to the 2007 hit film Welcome). “Shooting for Welcome Back was fun as well a learning experience. It has an ensemble starcast of Naseeruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal and Nana Patekar, Dimple Kapadia. It was good to work with such senior actors. Akshay is a good friend and brilliant actor. We worked together in many films. I enjoy watching his films,” said John. He will also be seen in Sanjay Gupta’s Mumbai Saga, shooting for which will begin in November. The soccer enthusiast will be seen donning a different look in 1911, a sports biopic on Mohun Bagan footballer, Sibdas Bhaduri. He will dabble in a leaner avatar in this Shoojit Sircar-directed period drama. He also has another movie, Rocky Handsome, on the cards, which is his home production.