After walking the ramp for long, John entered Bollywood with 'Jism' (2003), the film which brought him the best debut award.
But he could not keep the momentum going as his subsequent films like 'Saaya', 'Paap' and 'Lakeer' flopped miserably. Then Aditya Chopra's 'Dhoom' happened to turn the tables and he followed up the success with films like 'Garam Masala', 'Dostana', 'New York', 'Force', 'Housefull 2', 'Race 2' and 'Shootout at Wadala'.
"I was written off every year... My obituary is signed every year. Before 'Force' I was written off 'Saath Khoon Maaf', 'Jhoota Hee Sahi', 'Aashayein'... I was written off after my first film. A numerologist came and said John Abraham's number is so much so he is gone after 'Jism', " John told.
"But thankfully I survived for ten years. It is nice to be written off so that you can come back stronger with a vengeance. I don't take it negatively.
There is no anger in me. I put my head down and do my work and do something better, " he said. His next projects include 'Madras Cafe', 'Welcome Back', 'Dostana 2' and 'Mirchi' remake. "I feel fortunate to get right film at the right time. I have been lucky and smart in positioning myself. I have been careful too, " the 40-year-old actor-producer said.
John is acting for commercial entertainers while he produces films high on content but it in an entertaining way.
Quiz him over this, and he says, "I feel I am very easily accepted in commercial format. If I want to tell a different story, I use my commercial standing so I can drive the kind of cinema I believe in. I had to actually use my commercial standing to get 'Vicky Donor' on floors, " John said.
"There was a newcomer, no one wanted to meet Ayushmann Khurrana, when I went to London, they said don't get him, and you come. So I went as a producer and I marketed Ayushmann Khurrana.
But finally didn't he validate it? It is important to use your commercial standing to make cinema that you believe in. It will make a difference, " he said. The actor says he strives to make content driven cinema, because he thinks its important for people to know that he wants to make good cinema.
John says when he got into films, he was very clear that he wanted to be positioned as a biker, as a fitness guy, as a person who loves football and has done exactly all that. John feels education does enrich a person. "One has to be educated not for certificate or degree talking about your marks but for you to have knowledge to speak in public, " he said.
