/> John Abraham Speaks Out.....Once & For All.

You seem to have been out of circulation for so long....
That was by choice. I would rather be seen than heard. I'd rather not blow my trumpet and declare what I'm doing.I've always believed in working quietly and not making tall claims. I always said roles abroad would happen when they happen.

At the end of the day Bollywood is my home. I'm damn lucky to be getting all these opportunities. The film industry has been very kind to me. I love the movies!

In Deepa Mehta's Luna you're cast in a mainstream Hollywood film as a mainstream Hollywood hero..
You think so? A lot of people were taken by surprise. At Cannes UTV's Ronnie Screwvala was next to me when the announcement was made on stage. He was as surprised as anyone else. Deepa has shown a lot of faith in me.

Talks were on for Luna. But everything came together formally at Cannes. It was pretty sudden. I'm very delighted my co-star is Rachel Weisz. What a performance she gave in The Constant Gardner...Mine is a beautifully etched role in Luna.

The heartening thing is, my nationality isn't even mentioned. And my character's name isn't Indian. I play an activist. What's vital is that the producers of Luna share Deepa's faith in my abilities. I really think she has been wonderful to me.

I met Julia Hill on whose life Luna will be based. She was amazing. We think of activists as mature and boring. Julia is a fun 27-year old, funky yet passionate about her work.

Julia Hill thinks you resemble Antonio Banderas.
I come from a completely different cultural space. But you do feel flattered when you're compared with a good-looking Hollywood icon like Banderas. I'm not even two percent of what he is.

Goal in London was quite eventful.
So I'm informed by the media. It was fun. We've 7-8 days of patchwork to do, then we're complete.

Was it all pleasant?
We were shooting at below-O temperature. Obviously that caused a lot of discomfort. But in spite of what's being written shooting with my co-stars was a beautiful experience. Bipasha is a great co-star, not just with me but with everyone else. I had Boman who's an Irani just like me.

And Arshad with whom I had a ball shooting Kabul Express and now Goal. Besides them we had a horde of actors with us including professional football players from Bangladesh. I had so much fun playing football I'd often forget I was supposed to be working.

What about your problems with Arshad?
It's sad when untruths are written about me. I've faith in the audience, people know me. I want people who read this interview to know I'm not a vindictive person. I'm not going to sit here and clarify my non-existent problems.

Every one in the unit would vouch for that. Neither Arshad nor I has spoken against one another. But obviously the stories of our fights are coming from somewhere. I have no clue who's spreading them. I've been out of the country and pretty much disconnected with what's being said and spread.

Do you think your general inaccessibility fuels such stories?
It's true I'm inaccessible to the media when I'm shooting abroad. So I'm sure the stories come from those who are accessible from abroad. You know what I mean?

When I'm consumed by my work I don't like to focus on other things. So far I was taken up with Goal in London. Now I plan to disappear for two months somewhere I South India to shoot Nagesh Kukunoor's Aashayen.

Even Bipasha was dragged into your supposed fight with Arshad.
Bipasha is a woman of substance. She tells it like it is. Everything is black or white for her. We're both straight, honest and clean. That's all I want to say about this.

Earlier you were supposed to have problems with Salman...
I personally have no problems with anybody. I don't speak against anyone, not to be politically correct but because I feel no negativity for anyone.

One reason why I'm surviving in the film industry is because I feel no sense of insecurity. I enjoy my space. I enjoy what I'm doing. I want my films to be inspirational. I want people to go back from No Smoking,and Aashayen and Goal entertained and enlightened.