On the face of it, Bollywood actor John Abraham’s latest film, Rocky Handsome, comes across as a brutal movie filled with gory violence.
But lead actor Abraham — also the film’s co-producer — claims it’s all heart and emotions.
“Rocky Handsome has a beautiful story to tell and that’s why I did it. You can do the greatest action in the world, but if your emotion is not right, you will fail. We knew the emotional content of this film was strong, so we took the pain of making its action scenes even more special,” said Abraham during a press junket in Dubai this week.
The film re-unites director Nishikant Kamat with Abraham after their 2011 film, Force, which was about the life of a policeman. It had action, drama and romance. Their new film, which is out in the UAE on March 24, doesn’t stray far from their usual blend.
Rocky Handsome is the story of an introverted man, played by Abraham, who goes on a bloody rampage when the seven-year-old girl he dotes upon is kidnapped by a dangerous gang. The trailers also indicate that his hardened exterior is the result of a personal tragedy involving his lover, played by Shruti Haasan.
“It’s a movie that will touch your heart because it’s high in emotion and action ... The last few scenes made me cry,” said Abraham. It’s not just these scenes that make him tear up — Bollywood awards also make him emotional. The multiple awards shows that take place in Bollywood have recently been questioned for their eroding credibility.
Shruti Haasan and Abraham in the film.
“Awards are TV shows and it serves as a great revenue for TV channels. Have you seen any award function where all the nominees attend? You will only see the winners and the rest of them will come and dance. So I really think, if you want to watch and have some great TV time, then watch an awards show. I am not saying the winners are not deserving, [director Nishikant Kamat] can pick up the awards for Rocky Handsome. But please exclude me from it,” Abraham said.
Here are excerpts from our interview with Abraham, as he speaks about his action idol Sylvester Stallone, his martial arts training for Rocky Handsome and why he doesn’t like being called ‘just a pretty face’.
Why should we watch Rocky Handsome?
As much as this is an action film, this is an emotional movie, too. I wouldn’t be sitting here if I didn’t think much about it. I would never promote it this way if I didn’t think it was worth talking about. Rocky Handsome is a special film and it has its dose of emotion, action and romance. You need two things when you make a credible film, you need content and a director. Rocky Handsome has both. I am fortunate that Nishikant Kamat is the director of this film because certain films need a director where you feel safe. With him around, I feel like I am sitting in a car that’s safe and all I need to do is enjoy the ride.
Rocky Handsome is a spin-off of the Korean thriller The Man From Nowhere. Do you think Bollywood lacks originality and looks to world cinema for inspiration?
I loved the original film The Man From Nowhere and Nishi said ‘I will spin this film on its head, but will retain the action from the original. I will ensure that the film is not dark or gory.’ The minute he said that he will add emotions into it, I knew we are safe. If you see Dombivili Fast, Drishyam or Force, there’s an emotional quotient which is high and that quality is not present in many overseas films. I have seen the last part of Rocky Handsome
But do you think a revenge drama can ever get old? What would you say to someone who claims the trailer of Rocky Handsome looks familiar, but are still intrigued?
You have always claimed that you are not just a pretty face, but the title seems to bank on your good looks?
Handsome is as handsome does. The beauty is that the little girl calls him handsome and teases him about his looks. She says things like: ‘you look good in jail too’ and ‘you look like a criminal, but you look very handsome’. But as the film progresses, you realise that this tough-looking man is a softie. The film shows how the little girl breaks down his tough exterior and how he has to go on this mission to get this girl back after a certain incident. Rocky and Handsome are two entities in the film that belong to the same person. OK, Rocky Handsome is not just a pretty face, it’s a handsome face. [laughs].
Was the movie title inspired by Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa?
Nishi may have come up with this movie’s title, but I am a big fan of Stallone. I found consolation that the title featured something iconic from Stallone. Rocky IVimpacted me in a huge way. When I saw Stallone fighting with Dolph Lundgren and this whole America Vs Russia plot, those scenes were etched in my mind. I remember thinking ‘Stallone is a superstar and he’s so cool’. In my own little way, this film is my homage to Stallone and I hope he watches Rocky Handsome.
How will you make that happen?
I will make sure that he watches it at some point of time in the future. But we don’t want to do it as some petty marketing stunt. With Rocky Handsome I assure you that when I come to Dubai in July again, you will still be speaking about Rocky Handsome and how my next film is going to match that action.
How did you prepare for the role?
I went to Thailand and trained for a month. I learnt Silat martial arts, which involves body combat and action with knives. I would train for 14 hours a day, but the action in Rocky Handsomeis not gory or repulsive. It’s poetry in motion. When I would shower during the filming, my body would have cuts due to all that intense training. I was black and blue; and there were times when I wondered, why was I putting my body through it? But my director’s validation that he thought the action scenes looked believable boosted my morale. He felt that I looked like someone who had done those martial arts from childhood. I even reduced my weight for this role. I wanted to look lean, ripped and wanted every muscle to be defined. I had to look like a lethal killing machine.
You are also a producer of Rocky Handsome. What’s the budget of Rocky Handsome?
Without going into numbers, I can assure you that we have cut the cloth according to its length. We spent on the film, but never on us. There was no actor’s fee either.
Don’t miss it!
Rocky Handsome releases in the UAE on March 24.