John Abraham is taken for a ride in Taxi No. 9211
John Abraham can be persistent. His last shot at comedy in Garam Masala missed by a mile and a half - and then some - while Akshay Kumar raked in the honours.
Yet, Abraham's new release is another comedy. And in Taxi No. 9211, it's not some muscled, beefed-up hunk he has to match histrionics with. It's Nana Patekar.
And Patekar is versatile, is a veteran and is talented. Abraham could be outclassed on three counts. But the actor doesn't want to match up. He can't. The good thing is, he is aware of this.
Excerpts from an interview.
Entertainment Plus: So how was it working with Nana Patekar?
John Abraham: Next to ethereal. Before we started shooting for Taxi No. 9211, I'd seen his films, but I hadn't seen him preparing for them. Now I have. And yet I haven't.
He's like this amazing character who explains what can be done, then goes and does something totally different and yet makes sense of it all. He is innovative and a treat to watch.
You learn so much by just observing him. I did. And yes, the enjoyable part was sitting in the taxi with him in the driver's seat.
As a co-star, how would you compare Amitabh Bachchan to Nana Patekar?
Both are incomparable. And with each scene you share with them, you learn and grow so much more. I had a great time working with both the stalwarts (Abraham worked with Bachchan in Viruddh).
But please, don't ask me to draw comparisons as I am a newcomer while they are legends in their own right.
Tell us about your role in Taxi No. 9211?
It is a fun film and Nana and I both play unusual characters The film begins with me sitting in Nana's cab and how everything changes from that moment. I play a millionaire. I love the element of fun in the film.
The Meter Down number in the film is hot ...
Yes. And Nana is just amazing again. Piyush, Farah Khan's assistant, has choreographed the song. The best part about it is that the song comes after the movie ends and is played as the credits role.
Dancers were brought in from the UK for this number and Nana is seen dancing with them, along with me and Sameera (Reddy, Abraham's co-star in the film).
It was hilarious doing that shoot. Nana can make people go insane with his antics and he had something new to do for every retake.
Sometimes, I feel he was making mistakes on purpose just so that a retake could be taken and he could do something awful.
Do you get a chance to travel by taxi at all?
My fondest memories were travelling to school in Gareeb Singh's taxi. He owned 10 taxies back then, but would still ferry passengers on his own in one of his cars.
Doing the film and travelling by taxi was like reliving those memories in a way.
Sign up for the Daily Briefing
Get the latest news and updates straight to your inbox
