‘People only focus on my looks’

Actor John Abraham has to his credit a wide repertoire of films — Water (2005), No Smoking (2007) and New York (2009) to name a few. But the actor-producer says that it’s his looks more than anything else that he’s looked at for.

“I was always looked at for my physicality. Despite working in films such as Zinda (2006), Taxi 9211 (2006), or New York (2009), people only talked about my looks,” says John.

“Somehow my films always managed to become classics, like No Smoking. But people only focus on my looks. It is always about how John Abraham looked in the film. I guess they just need an excuse,” he adds.

John, who celebrated his 44th birthday on Saturday, compares himself to Hollywood actor Robert Redford. “Robert Redford was known for his good looks. Dustin Hoffman once told him that no matter what he did, he’d always wear an albatross around his neck, which meant that it’d always be about how he looked. It’s the same with me,” says John.

However, the actor whose last film, Force 2, proved to be successful at the box-office, says it doesn’t bother him anymore. “Do I have any qualms about it? No, I don’t. I have realised that it’s a constant battle for me, and to a certain extent it will always be about the way I look,” he says.

“But I believe that ever since I started my production house, I have evolved in a big way as an actor. It’s only after I did a Madras Café (2013), that people saw what I am all about.”