John Abraham to star in sports film ?

After winning critical acclaim for his last release, 'Madras Cafe', based on the Sri Lankan civil war, actor-producer John Abraham is now taking his interest in sports forward by planning to make films on football, motorcycling and boxing.

"We are making a film on sports... Shoojit has quite a few ideas. The only thing I could reveal is the film is about football, it is based on that. We are still in development stage and we will make an announcement on it," John told PTI in an interview here.

"No, it is not a biopic on any sports personality but it is based on a true story. It is amazing, adventurous, commercial and will be fun to watch for the audience," he said.

There are other areas of sports as well that the 40-year-old actor wants to explore through films.

"Besides this, there are two-three films on sports as that is my area of interest. And one is on motorcycling, that we have started scripting, the other is in space of contact sports (meaning boxing, wrestling etc)," John said.

Ask him if he would be acting in these projects the reply seems affirmative.

"I don't know that yet. I think in all probability I will be the first choice for my own production for these films. Then we will look out for others," he added.

Post the success of his two home production films 'Vicky Donor' and 'Madras Cafe' John insists he will make sure the next film will be even better.

'Madras Cafe' was a spy thriller, which traced the political and military histories of the neighbours and covered the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Lankan rebel group LTTE's activities through the eye of an agent, played by John.

"The film did not have a typical Bollywood song, dance hero and it did half the business of a successful film. This shows there is audience who want to watch these kinds of films as well.

"This segment of audience will grow as the youth is getting more and more aware. I want to create that kind of new and entertaining cinema as a producer and actor," John said.

He says the audience has proved that they are open to see qualitative cinema.

John Abraham's Madras Cafe 2 Days Collection At Box Office

Shoojit Sircar's latest directorial venture Madras Cafe starring John Abraham and Nargis Fakhri in leads, opened to a lackluster response at the Indian Box Office, but has picked up very well on Saturday. 

This political espionage thriller has smashed the first and second day collection records of John's previous solo movie Force, which had hit the screen on September 30, 2011. Madras Cafe, which has been most-talked about its controversial subject, was expected to start with a bang at the Indian Box Office, but the movie had a slow start with its occupancy ranging between 25% and 35% in the morning and matinee shows on its opening day, but it showed massive growth in the afternoon and evening shows. 

The film collected Rs Fri 5.17 crores nett in the domestic market on the first day. The John Abraham and Nargis Fakhri starrer showed further improvements on Saturday. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted, "#MadrasCafe is zooming upwards. Not just plexes of urban centres, even single screens/mass circuits have witnessed an upswing in biz. WOW!" 

The movie collected Rs 7 crores at the Indian Box Office on its second day, taking its two-day domestic total to Rs 12.17 crores. However, Force, which has been the biggest opening solo film for John Abraham, had collected Rs 5.05 crores on Friday and Rs 4.75 crores on Saturday. Now, Madras Cafe has shattered both these collection records. The movie has garnered a very powerful word of mouth. 

As per the early trends, the movie is expected to rake in Rs 8.5 to 10 crores nett at the Indian Box Office on Sunday. Stay locked to this space to read latest Madras Cafe Box Office reports.

I Wanted To Join The Army - Nargis Fakhri

You know why I like Nargis Fakhri? Because she doesn't talk bulls***. She's right in your face, bold, honest and straight from the heart. For a girl who had dreams like every other person every other day, it is an act of defiance that she moved her base to Bollywood two years ago. Perhaps this is how you gracefully transition from childhood to adulthood in the global eye of glamour. We've known each other through our unforgettable first meeting where she ripped apart the cellophane to unravel her surprise gift - a candle stand that stood as tall as her. And this time was no different. I surprise Fakhri with a lemon grass plant, thanks to her obsession for Tea, something that we discovered through her tweets. The actress has surprised us men for a good two years - be it with her GQ cover or with her doing quality cinema such as Rockstar and Madras Cafe. But don't let her all American looks fool you. Fakhri has got 'sexy' back and this time, it's all rugged but with a mission. For me, Nargis isn't a role model, she's just like you and me. But all I need to worry about is - I don't want to be telling this to her 3 lac plus followers on twitter.

I clearly remember the day when our late PM, Mr Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated. Do you recall any such gruesome moment that makes you question the politics and its terror?
I've had so many. I've had a lot of people that have passed away - the near and dear ones. But I don't really get affected by politics and I am not too politically inclined. Not to sound uneducated. I am not trying to say that I am uneducated or unaware. I can't really speak too much about politics and would not like to comment on how I feel about politics in general.

So you're telling me that you are not at all interested in politics?
No. I didn't mean that. I did research mostly on my character because the film is inspired by what happened during the Sri Lankan-Tamil War. There was one particular person that was a big part of it. Her name was Anita Pratap. She was a journalist. I researched all of her work and I had no idea of anything else, except, I remember on TV when they shot Prabhakaran who used to be a rebel. As far as the history and politics of India, I really didn't know anything about it. We are very all about our country as I've come from America. John told me that a lot of Indians don't know about politics in their own country. He asked a disc-jockey who Rajiv Gandhi was and she didn't know. I almost started tearing. I mean, I do understand what he meant. But honestly, when we are young, we really don't care too much about politics and are busy trying to find the answer to - Who we are and what we are supposed to do with our life.

But just like Anita Pratap, Barkha Dutt and a few more, don't you think the real job of a journalist is to find out the truth and nothing but the truth?
Well, I think that the journalism that I am coming across when it has to do with this industry is a bunch of, excuse my language, is crap. And we want to read the gossip of what's happening in other peoples' lives. It's human psychology they say (laughs). But I don't know why it's saleable. Why do the youth know about Shah Rukh Khan or Katrina Kaif more than their ex- PM who got assassinated? I wish I knew what the youth learns about history.

So then, how was it to be a journalist?
I think it's a crazy job. You got to have some kind of passion for humanity because they are deliberately putting themselves in a place that they can get killed. I don't know if you would want to do that kind of a job. I think what these guys do is commendable. These women and men risk their lives and family to keep us aware of what's going inside the political world. It's amazing! For me, I feel everyone is so selfish in the world today. And look at these journalists - I would like to meet such people as they are too special for me. I want to meet someone who does that for a living.

Is it all heart or is it something else what motivates them?
I want to know! When I was very young, I wanted to join the army just like John's character in the movie. My mom had a heart attack, not quite (laughs). When you are coming out of high school they say - Do you want to join the military and all. But you know there is a possibility that I could die and I didn't go that route.

You've done quality cinema more than commercial -Rockstar and Madras Cafe.
I could've done that but I don't know how to explain myself. Ok, I rather do quality than quantity. I rather do something that feels good or I feel connected to. I didn't plan to come into this career choice and now that I have decided to stay, I have no pressures here. I don't need the feel to hurry here. Also, there is a whole learning process that comes along. I want to try everything and I am brushing my Hindi. Rockstar wasn't just an eye candy for me. It was a launch that was unbelievable. For me who wasn't prepared, it was positive and negative. To tell you the truth I've just started watching movies, renting it out and sometimes, I lose the jokes (laughs). So yes, I am taking it slow but sure will do quality stuff.

Do you easily come out of your character after doing an intense film like Madras Cafe?
My character isn't too intense to come out. But depending on what kind of an actor you are, when you are acting, and for those who are so great somehow become that character. During Rockstar, I was new and had less friends here and I spent a lot of time with Imtiaz and Ranbir. So yes, I was in character but I also took a long break in between that helped me come out of it. Ranbir's a great actor and he gets sucked in. But when you jump from one film to the other, I often wonder how actors go in and come out of characters. But the most beautiful experience while working in a movie is to marinate yourself in the character and that fantasy - funny or tragic.

How much have you started to like this Hindi Film Industry?
The art of acting is very interesting. It's fulfilling. As a child I wanted to be somebody different every day. My mother went berserk. There are other perks - learning and working with so many different people. I've learnt a piece of history in Madras Cafe. I feel I have gained so much more and I can have a conversation with people on what happened and how it happened. As for business in Bollywood, I don't like that. I am an artist. I don't know what people think about me but I don't like fame. I am a normal person. I paint, I sketch, I draw, blah blah blah. I don't like people all up in my business and s***. You know what I mean? Wanna know what colour underwear I wear and whether I've dug my nose (laughs). I don't like such a business (laugh).

- Bollywood Hungama

Students oppose release of 'Madras Cafe'

Close on the heels of pro-Tamil political outfits' demand for a ban on Bollywood film “Madras Cafe”, students of a city law college staged a protest here on Wednesday against its release on August 23.

They submitted a complaint to police against its release and also sought a ban on the film, which they claimed portrayed Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in bad light.

MDMK chief Vaiko and Naam Thamizhar Katchi (We Tamils) leader Seeman have already sought a ban on the film starring John Abraham as an Indian intelligence agent in Sri Lanka during the civil war between the government and LTTE in the late 80s and early 90s.

Following a demand by the protesters, the filmmakers had arranged for a preview of the film last Sunday, after which the protesters further strengthened their stand on the film.

Naam Thamizhar Katchi had in July given a complaint to police, demanding that the film not be released in the state, citing possible law and order problems.

John Abraham has refused to delete any scene from ‘Madras Cafe’ and wondered why anyone has a problem with the film when the Censor Board had cleared it.

Thalaivaa to open tomorrow, Madras Café may face roadblock

The Vijay-starrer Thalaivaa (Leader) will open in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry on August 20. Cinemas have begun issuing tickets. The picture also has Amla Paul playing opposite Vijay.

The film was to have been released in these two territories on August 9, but threat letters from a hitherto unheard of political organisation to theatres in Chennai led to Thalaivaa being banned for the time being.

However, the movie opened in other countries and even outside Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. The result of this was only to be expected: pirated disks of the film were freely available in Chennai and Pondicherry, which is known as the "Piracy Capital of India", where illegal disks of generally South Indian movies are allegedly made in their thousands.

But, what was the real reason for Thalaivaa facing this roadblock. According to some sources, the Tamil Nadu All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Government under Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was not in favour of the film's tagline, Time to Lead. This has now been removed from all publicity posters, and Thalaivaa itself will begin without this tag.

In the meantime, another movie, Shoojit Sircar's (Vicky Donor) Madras Café, which also seemed to run into a storm, will hopefully open in Tamil Nadu on August 23.

The Madras High Court Bench has dismissed a petition which sought to stop the release of Madras Café, because it reportedly showed Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in bad light and that this could cause a law and order problem in Tamil Nadu.

Starring John Abraham and Nargis Fakhri, the film is a political thriller set in the late 1980s and early 1990s against the backdrop of the Sri Lankan civil war and the murder of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on the outskirts of Chennai as he was about to address a political meeting.

Madras Café is a fictionalised account - though inspired by real events -- which seems to suggest that Gandhi was killed because he wanted peace on the island nation. The title too refers to an imaginary restaurant in London where the conspiracy for the political assassination was said to have been formulated.

Abraham portrays an officer of the Research and Analysis Wing.

Originally titled Jaffna, Madras Café deals with a subject (Sri Lankan Tamils) which has always been sensitive in Tamil Nadu, particularly among some political parties.

(Jaffna is a city in Sri Lanka, which has had a troubled history. Populated largely by Tamils, the city was occupied by Prabhakaran's rebel outfit, LTTE, the Indian Peacekeeping Force and the Sri Lankan Military during various times in the past.)

But Madras Café could still face obstacles. Members of some Tamil nationalist outfits, who saw Madras Café, screened specially for them on Sunday, are likely to try and stop the movie from opening this Friday.

In a report published in The Hindu on August 19, Seeman, leader of Naam Tamizhar Party (We Are Tamils), said that Madras Café "denigrates Tamils and their struggle for independence".

In the past, some Tamil films which spoke for the Sri Lankan Tamils were not given screening certificates by the Central Board of Film Certification. So, the argument is why should Madras Café which is unfavourable to the Tamil cause be shown.

Be that as it may, cinema appears to be having a tough time in a State which adores the medium and has always been enamoured -- like no other place -- of movie heroes and heroines. Even building temples for them and anointing their wooden posters. Four Chief Ministers, including the present one, have had their beginnings in the world of films.

`Madras Cafe` Will Re-Launch Nargis : Shoojit Sircar

Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar has roped in Nargis Fakhri for ‘Madras Café’ and says that he is re-launching her in filmdom with his movie on terrorism.

She made her Bollywood debut with hit musical romance "Rockstar!" as a college going student. While her co-star Ranbir Kapoor was praised for his performance in the film, the actress managed to impress with her looks.

Now Sircar is presenting her as a journalist in "Madras Cafe", a political-thriller, which deals with terrorism and civil war and was reportedly shot in Sri Lanka and India.

"This is Nargis`s debut film. I introduced Nargis in a commercial and then she did `Rockstar`," Shoojit told reporters in a group interview.

Showing confidence in the actress`s acting skills, he further said: "I can assure you, she will surprise everybody with the film. This is the reason I am telling you Nargis is debuting with `Madras Cafe`."

With three films in his kitty and a National Award, Sircar, the man behind "Yahaan", "Vicky Donor" and "Shoebite", says that he is "particular about my actors".

"I don`t let them go till I get the best out of them. Nargis will be re-launched with the film," he reiterated.

"Madras Cafe" features John Abraham in the lead and the actor is also co-producing the film.

Why did John Abraham slam Salman Khan?

A defensive John Abraham went on an attack mode recently at an event, and called Salman Khan’s Tiger act fake and unreal! John and Salman never really got along well, the two shared icy vibes ever since the Rockstars concert fight way back in 2006. And just when the there seemed to be some warmth seeping in, this rivalry just got a reboot after John who is playing a RAW agent in Shoojit Sircar’s Madras Café took potshot at Sallu’s act in Ek Tha Tiger.

At a recent press conference of Madras Café, John got very uncomfortable when he was asked if he would be seen in any larger than life action sequence like his contemporaries. John went on to vehemently clarify that he won’t be flashing his six-pack abs or do any super-hero like unreal stunts. John’s pat reply was a direct hit at Salman. Knowing Sallu penchant for unreal action (Wanted, Dabangg series, Ek Tha Tiger), we’re sure John wanted to create a more original impact. While we couldn’t agree more with Johnny boy about the unrealistic part, we would also like to warn that being bluntly honest could hurt! After all theDabangg Khan doesn’t take these things lightly, so do we hear some more dishum dishum noise when the duo comes together in the coming days? Watch this space for we’ll be the first ones to get it!

All Rs 100 crore films are not great, says John Abraham!

 Actor-producer John Abraham feels all Rs 100 crore club films are not great. After the critical and commercial success of 'Vicky Donor', the actor's production house JA Entertainment and Rising Sun Films have teamed up once again for 'Madras Cafe'.

"This is a serious film. We believe in making quality films. I don't know how much crores the film would make. I feel all Rs 100 crore films are not the greatest movies," John told reporters here last evening at the trailer launch of

'Madras Cafe'.A spy thriller, the film is a story based on the political relations between India and Sri Lanka and it releases on August 23. The other two big films releasing next month include - 'Chennai Express' (on August 8 -Eid) and 'Once

Upon A Time in Mumbaai Dobara' (August 15).

"Holidays do get you a good opening but at the end of the day, the content, quality of the film will speak. We are confident about our film and its release date. We wanted a clear open window and we have got that. It is a clutter

breaker film, it is a very special project... we have spent six-seven years on it," John said.

"We want to make entertaining films with strong content. We want to make quality films," he said.

There were reports that the film has a reference to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination and also deals with the LTTE's activities in Sri Lanka.

"The film has no such depictions. The backdrop of the film is India-Sri Lanka and after that the entire story is fictional. It is a realistic film. I'm satisfied with the final cut," director Shoojit Sircar said.

The film was initially titled as 'Jaffna', but the makers finally settled for 'Madras Cafe', as it is relevant to the plot of the film. A strategic meeting happens at this place, Shoojit said.

The film also stars Nargis Fakhri as a war journalist.

"I am happy to be part of this film. It was great working with John and Shoojit. For my role of a journalist I researched a lot, I saw lot of things online, how they report and work, their body language etc. I got scared to shoot

intense scenes," Nargis said.

John praised Nargis for her work in the film and said she will make everyone proud.

The trailer of 'Madras Cafe' has been released with 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag'.

Madras Cafe First Look : John Abraham's In The Search Of Truth

Here's the first look of John Abraham's Madras Cafe, which spells the intense theme of the film. In this Shoojit Sircar's political thriller, Rockstar actress Nargis Fakri will be trying her luck at Bollywood again. Nargis essays the role of a foreign journalist.

The film briefly came under controversy when actress Leena Marie Paul, who was recently booked under multiple cheating cases was associated with the film. However the filmmakers said that the incarcerated actress was "never" a part of Madras Cafe. The film also stars Vicky Donor fame Ayushmann Khurrana and is set to release on August 23.

Get a glimpse into John Abraham`s second production ‘Madras Café’ when you go to watch ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ Friday. The trailer of the ‘Madras Café’ will release with the Farhan Akhtar-starrer.

‘Madras Café’, which features John and Nargis Fakhri, is directed by Shoojit Sircar. The director is looking forward to the response to the trailer.

"The trailer of `Madras Cafe` is attached with `Bhaag Milkha Bhaag`. I am eagerly waiting to see the audience response," Sircar said.

He promises an unusual film, and said: "It`s in the spy zone and is a realistic film. I`m satisfied with the final cut, but let`s see how audience reacts to it."

Same day release for John Abraham, Priyanka Chopra's films?

Actors John Abraham and Priyanka Chopra, who had teamed up for the hit film "Dostana", will reportedly vie for the top spot at the box office with their respective films "Madras Cafe" and animated movie "Planes". Both are scheduled for an Aug 23 release.

A source confirmed the report and said: "Priyanka's film 'Planes' will be releasing on August 23rd with John's 'Madras Cafe'."

Priyanka has given voiceover for the animated project, while John has produced as well as acted in "Madras Cafe".