/> Though John Abraham quit smoking long ago, he put himself into the smokers' zone again...All for a role of course.

He was smoking extensively for his role in Anurag Kashyap's No Smoking.

Coughing intermittently the dedicated actor says, "Oh man, I was smoking and smoking for every shot. And one has to inhale the smoke.

I couldn't pretend to be smoking. If I had to fake it I'd not be doing this role. I was turning into a smoker for an anti- smoking film, ha ha.

Ironically while we weree making an anti-smoking film all of us were smokers on the sets. After every shot we huddled together like college students in the locker room for a smoke. "

No Smoking is one more endeavour by John to go against the grain. "People look at me as if I've gone crazy. 'At a time when the world is doing big-budget actions why are you doing Kabul Express and No Smoking?

Have you lost it?' But that's me. More than driving a car, I love riding a bike, I love the thought of sitting on the edge. I'm very secure about my career choices. "

Matthew Robbins who wrote many of Steven Spielberg's earlier films had a lot to say about No Smoking to John.

"He came home other day, and said it's the best thing to have happened to Indian cinema. He told me to be grateful that I was in a film like this. Do you know, no other leading man wanted to do this film?

And when Anurag came to me he narrated another script,a very commercial typical thriller which he thought I'd be more interested in. Then he suddenly offered me No Smoking. I loved it, and asked him why he hadn't offered me this first.

Then he confessed he had made up the other commercial subject on the way to meet me. He made it up in half an hour and have me an –hour- long narration just to see how I reacted. Then he offered me No Smoking. "

John says good things about his No Smoking co-star Ayesha Takia. "She's a very sweet girl, and very sincere to her work.