While controversy is doing rounds that real marriage rituals were performed by John Abraham and Genelia D'Souza while filming a scene for Force, the actors are busy promoting their action thriller. Sreya Basu catches up with the duo in Ahmedabad

Force is the first full-fledged solo action film for both of you. How will you tag the movie?
John: It is an action film, where romance is very strong. Apparently, from the promos you think it's an action film. But when you come out of the theatre after watching the film, the only thing that stays with you is the romance part.

The last film you saw like this was Aamir Khan's Ghajini (2008). After that, you will see Force where action is supplemented with strong elements of romance.

Genelia: The beauty of the film is it is as commercial as it can get, and at the same time it's really real. So Force is a perfect blend of commercial and realistic cinema.

The film is a remake of 2003 Tamil film Kaakha Kaakha?
John: Yes it is. The Tamil one was a hugely successful one and we all will be happy if our film runs well too.

This is the first time we see John and Genelia together on screen. Tell us about your chemistry.
Genelia: Our chemistry is great.

John: Genelia and I are very close friends. So there is a comfort level and things are much easier. Hope we get chance to work together in more projects in future and get a chance to portray our romance on- screen, not off-screen.

John is more known for his toned-body look. But you seem to have worked hard to get those eight-packs...
John: I play ACP Yashvardhan. He is a narcotics bureau officer. He is a no nonsense cop who doesn't believe in love till Maya (Genelia) comes to his life. How his life changes after that is what the film is all about.

We worked a lot on the character. I did research on Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), drugs, suppliers and handlers. After thorough research, we designed a cop like ACP Yashvardhan.

The topping on the character was his body. We tried to get a new type of body for him. I worked for eight months on my body to get what you are seeing finally on the posters and promos.

How different is Force from Dhoom (2004), which too was an action film, but a multi-starrer?
John: Well, Dhoom was a stylized action film, Force is a real, raw action film. I have never done raw actions so far. After Dhoom, a lot of people asked me why haven't I attempted action again.

With the physicality I have, people said I should have done more action films. But I matured over a period of time and now I am ready for action. Bodily and mentally, I am much more a matured person now, and ready to take the role of Action Abraham and be the action hero of the country.

Were the stunts difficult for you?
John: Force doesn't have any unreal action sequences...yet they are all very entertaining and commercial. Generally with technology progressing so much, we use cables for stunts.

But in this film, be it me or the villain Vidyut (Jamwal) or others, we mostly didn't use cables and kept it real in real locations.

That's why I sustained quite a few injuries during shooting. My bones broke, I fell from great heights, but after we saw the film, I was satisfied that everything looked real.

Which is your most favourite stunt in Force?
John: There is a scene where I pick up a motorcycle and throw away. At that time my weight was around 100 kilos. And if the motorcycle weighed 115-120 kilos, it was like doing pull-ups. The stunt was not difficult, but looks good on screen.

How much do you think Force can pull the crowd, especially with so many action films releasing in recent times?
John: The last real action film you saw was Sunny Deol's Ghayal (1990). Force is a real action film and the crowd will love it. As for the commercial side, all action films are doing well. So we are on the safe side. There is no competition...and no point in comparing with Ajay (Devgan) or Salman (Khan).