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Cruising along

John Abraham plays a conceited industrialist in `Taxi No. 9211'

SIMPLICITY WORKS John Abraham plays a smart businessman in `Taxi No. 9211'

Recalling an incident during the shooting of `Taxi No. 9211' in Mumbai, director Milan Luthria says, "On my left, John Abraham was driving 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 5,000 girls gheraoed me. It became so difficult to manage the crowd that I got into an auto to flee the scene." But he admits that he enjoys being the cynosure.

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.

RANA SIDDIQUI

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