John Abraham is back in full swing after a brief illness. He speaks to Subhash K Jha.

Q: How's life been lately?
A: 2005 was good but hectic. I feel I got far more appreciation from the audience than the success of my films would suggest. I'm relatively successful. I 'm not being humble. I'm just being honest. I want to be more successful. It's been a grueling time for me.

I shot in Afghanistan. Then I came back and was in hospital for a really long time. I've been asked to be very careful for the next three to four months. A relapse of typhoid is like....deadly! The docs told me it's my call now. I'm not supposed to over-work.

Q: What happened?
A: I was shooting in Afghanistan. It's a country in transition. Twenty-six years of war have ruined it. But within their means they were outstandingly hospitable.

Q: So hospitable they put you in hospital?
A: Ha ha. I feel so good being back to work. I just attended the premieres of Zinda in Pune, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad. I don't know how it's doing. I've heard mixed reports. We knew this film would have a limited audience. But that audience loves Zinda. The messages I'm getting about my performance are very encouraging. It makes me feel I've improved since my last film.

Q: But Zinda is Sanjay Dutt's film through and through!
A: It is. But I feel my role was very powerful. It required very little of my time. But I'm omnipresent. I remember Sanjay Gupta had come to me with his next film. But he wanted me to hear Zinda. It was obvious that Sanjay Dutt was doing the older man.

I was immediately interested in the other role. Sanjay Gupta wanted someone who could match the other actor's physicality...I'm happy with the footage I've in Zinda. It's as critical as Keifer Sutherland's role in Phone Booth. I enjoyed Zinda.

Q: So footage isn't an issue?
A: Not at all. What Sanjay Gupta narrated to me, he delivered. Even in Dhoom I came into the narration after forty minutes. I had no songs, no leading lady. The important thing is how honestly you deliver within the space given.

Q: How far behind has your illness put you?
A: I'm about eight days behind for Kabul Express. But over -all I'm behind about a month. I finished Kabul by 10 Feb and then I re-started Babul.

Q: Was there a security threat in Afghanistan?
A: If I needed publicity I could put out my 'Diaries From Kabul' out, and it'd become a bestseller. Or maybe we could make a film on what happened there. But everything was well taken care of by the Afghan government and Yashraj Films. It was my choice to shoot a film that had to be shot Afghanistan.

Q: Your performance in Deepa Mehta's Water has been widely appreciated?
A: Not too many people in India have seen it. And I didn't tom-tom it. It's such beautiful film. In Canada Water has catered to an all-white audience. And they were completely taken aback. We've never had reactions like that before.

For them the whole concept of the film was alien. It's one thing for audiences here to call out 'John Abraham'. It was quite another when they did it there. It was proud. If I've to reach to a global audience I'd rather do it through an film on an Indian theme like Water.

Q: Has it opened doors for you abroad?
A: I've had offers. But I don't want to proclaim, like other actors out here, that I'm doing a Hollywood project. Here they don't seem to know the difference between Hollywood and any other international project. I wouldn't like to make a fool of myself by making such proclamations. There's no offer that I'd like to talk about. I'm considering some. But I'm doing none till next year.

Q: But you're doing Deepa Mehta's Komagata Maru?
A: Yeah...but we still need to finalize dates. Honestly, for the other role she needs Mr Amitabh Bachchan. Only he can do justice to it. He's a rock star. Mine is more a Bhagat Singh kind of a role.

Q: What new films have you signed?
A: I'm doing Nikhil Advani's Salaam-e-Ishq with Vidya Balan. She's damn sweet. It would be a nice different pairing. I've signed Sriram Raghavan's very sweet romantic comedy Happy Birthday. We start this in July-August. Sriram is super-talented. And his concept is so interesting.

I'm also doing a film with a new director Babar to be shot in Baghdad. I'm choosing very very carefully. I need to work with filmmakers who'd get the best out of me. I still need that one huge film in my career.

I am doing a Yashraj Film in 2006. My new film Taxi 9211 is out. I recently saw an uncut version without background music. The movie took me completely by surprise. It's really entertaining. It's a fun movie and I've a light role.

Q: How happy were you with your comedy in Garam Masala?
A: Not very happy. It took me the first four days to grasp the genre. But I don't think I got it completely. I've a long way to go. Credit must go to Akshay Kumar and director Priyadarshan for pulling me along the laugh-line.

Q: How has your career been so far?
A: Today I'm able to dub for Kaal and Viruddh in a day! The industry has been very patient with me. At a time when big heroines refused to work with me Mr Amitabh Bachchan worked with me in Aetbaar. Mr Bachchan and Bipasha have been very supportive. I'm very close to Abhishek and the entire Bachchan family.

I wouldn't want anyone to say anything negative about them. In their unspoken way they've been very supportive....Abhishek is a colleague and co-star I'm most comfortable with. You can't take away from that boy's success. He's sweet, and he has worked hard for it.

Q: Any new endorsements?
A: Yes I've just signed on as UN ambassador for drugs and crime. And I'm the sole ambassador for Diet Pepsi in India...Good fun. I'll endorse only a product that matches my image, physically and psychologically. I won't do alcohol. In real life I don't even touch wine. It's not a morality issue. I just don't like the smell of alcohol.