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Taxiing along smoothly

John Abraham plays a conceited industrialist in "Taxi No. 9211" but he doesn't `keep distance' from his fans

You may not fault John Abraham for replaying Dev Anand of Nau Do Gyarah (made by Vijay Anand in 1957) in parts in his Taxi No. 9211 that was released this Friday. Anand's film had the protagonist Dev running to claim the fortune his father left for him before dying, but the will is found missing. In Taxi No. 9211 too, John too, has his last day in the court to claim a fortune of Rs. 300 crore left behind by his father. Milan Luthria, the director of this film, could be accused of lifting parts from Nau Do Gyarah. You can also draw a parallel between Dev Anand and John.

Dev had a great female fan following, same as John has today. Recalling an incident during the shooting of the film in Mumbai, says Milan, "From my left was coming John Abraham in his car chased by many women. From my right appeared Nana Patekar followed by taxi drivers, rickshaw pullers and others on the road. It made me realise that it is a perfect jodi for my film."

People's pal

John smiles at the compliment. He adds, "I was parked near a girl's college during the shooting. Within minutes, some 5000 girls gheraoed me. It became so difficult to manage the crowd that I got into an auto to flee the scene." But he minces no words admitting he enjoys being the cynosure. "Look, there are three kinds of actors. One made by the industry, one made by the media and one made by the public. I am being made by the public and I enjoy this status. It not only keeps me grounded as I am in direct touch with them, but also I believe that it will lengthen my tenure as an actor. My audience is my strength. They won't let me fade fast," says John while gleefully posing with fans of all ages, especially women, and signing autographs, during the promotion campaign of Taxi No. 9211.

You will see John with short hair in the film, as a young industrialist, Jai Mittal, who accidentally meets a cynic taxi driver called Raghav Shastri, played by Patekar. The film is a 24-hour tale of their lives that reflects that "everybody is the same. So are our needs and problems. Hence, the answers are the same too. So you should not blame others for what you are going through," says John. And for the "just opposite" Nana Patekar, with whom it is John's first "combat experience" on and off-screen, he surprises many a curious scribe by describing him as a lovable partner. "He told me laughingly that we are going to be the best jodi after Madhuri-Anil in `Dhak-Dhak' and Salman-Ash in `Dhol Baaje'," recalls an amused John. Sameera Reddy plays his ladylove, who is "not in the film for glamour," says Milan. She is one who doesn't let her man do everything he wants and get away with it.

Thanks to his first comedy film Garam Masala, John has a hang of comedy now, but this film is not a comedy as such. "Here only situations are comic, so we didn't have to act funny," says John.

John is also ready with a few films that will be released this year, Kabul Express, Salam-e-Ishq and Happy Birthday by Shriram Raghavan.

RANA SIDDIQUI

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