From his debut in Jism to Dhoom to No Smoking to Madras Café and most recently, Satyamev Jayete -2, John Abraham has never been shy of challenging his repertoire as an actor. After spending close to two decades in the film industry, John seemed to be treading a similar path as a producer.
His next film, co-produced with Dr Jayantilal Gada’s PEN Films, is a super-soldier thriller titled – Attack – Part 1. On Tuesday, John launched its trailer amidst a full house of media here in Mumbai.
Indian sci-fi thrillers are considered shallow as compared to the ones made in Hollywood. But John seemed convinced that this film will change it forever. “This film will be the game changer for Indian films, especially in this genre,” said John.
At the launch event, John seemed extremely confident both as the producer and the hero of the film. In a free-wheeling chat session, John spoke about his perception of the new-age cinema, for the young generation.
The trailer opens with Ira – (John’s AI guide ala J.A.R.V.I.S of Iron Man) guiding John to jump from the rooftop to escape a fight. John’s character is the first human subject of this scientific experiment. Rakul Preet Singh plays the scientist, who upgrades him into a super cop. He is then seen as super-soldier fighting with terrorists during an attack on the Parliament. Jacqueline Fernandez plays John’s love interest.
“If west can do it, why can’t we!” – JA
While talking about a constant comparison between Indian action films & the ones made in Hollywood, John said, “I can say very confidently that Attack, is a damn good film. There was definitely a need to make a film like this. Especially for our youngsters. I feel Attack can be a game-changer. We as a team wanted to make a film to show to the world, ‘India main bhi aisi film ban sakti hai’. This film will make people talk about India’s heroes and superheroes. He may not be wearing his underwear on his pants, but he is fighting for his nation.”
“We have not spent on John Abraham. We have spent on the VFX of the films!” – JA
In Hollywood, actions films are made on a very high budget. John juxtaposed a bigger budget with the technique of film-making. “The second wave of Covid had hit us hard and my budget was cut. But we as a team didn’t give up. We would discuss each sequence of the film, to ensure the best outcome in our given budget. Generally, in a film, a hero’s fee is 50 percent of the film’s budget. In this film, we have not spent on John Abraham but on the VFX. I can say 30 percent of our budget was dedicated to the superior quality of VFX effects. I am not in any race for charging more or less than others. We wanted the production value of the film to be at least four notches higher than the rest. If now the film, doesn’t work for any reason, we know in our heart we tried our best, and no one can take that away from us,” John said.
“Action is an attitude… an emotion… it is all in the eyes!” – JA
One being asked about his approach to this role as an action hero, John explained, “What is the one thing common between Sylvester Stallone, Dwayne Johnson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Vin Diesel?” And added, “they are the biggest action heroes, we have known. It is the attitude with which they do their action scenes. They may break a wall, or fight with fire, it’s not about the body of an actor. The action has to reflect in the eye. The emotion has to be right. And that’s how I look at it.”
Directed by Lakshya Raj Anand, the film be released worldwide by Pen Marudhar, in cinemas on 1st April 2022.