John Abraham shoots Rs.3 crore song for 'Welcome Back'

John Abraham's entry in Anees Bazmee's "Welcome Back" will not be an ordinary one. The director has spent Rs.3 crore on a song that will introduce the actor in the comedy.

It has been shot in a popular suburban studio here.

"Anees bhai wanted to do something special with the song. He and Anu Malik have worked extremely hard on it and wanted it to be shot in an elaborate manner," producer Firoz A. Nadiadwala said in a statement.

"Right from the beginning, we had planned to shoot John’s introductory song on a grand scale. We had 700 junior artists and dancers and the song was shot for over seven days," he added.

A sequel to the 2007 hit "Welcome", "Welcome Back" also stars Shruti Haasan, Nana Patekar, Anil Kapoor and Paresh Rawal and is slated for a 2014 release.

John's Madras Cafe Brings Back Uncomfortable Memories of The CIA's Honey Trap

R & AW officials who recently went in to see John Abraham play intrepid spy Major Vikram Singh in Madras Cafe, were in for a rude shock. 

Abraham's nemesis Bala, superbly essayed by Kannada stage actor Prakash Belawadi, was inspired by a real life R & AW mole. It is a story India's external agency would prefer to forget. KV Unnikrishnan, the agency's station chief in Madras in 1987 was honey trapped by the CIA. The US spy service threatened to reveal Unnikrishnan's compromising photographs with an airhostess (Madras Cafe shows it as a sex tape) to force him to cooperate.

Unnikrishnan, 47, worked for the CIA for nearly two years informing them about what was then an ultra-secret operation: R & AW training and arming Tamil groups including the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Indian government's negotiating positions on the peace accord with Sri Lanka. Unnikrishnan's sensational uncovering as a CIA mole, shook India's external intelligence agency. It was the first major high-level penetration of India's external intelligence agency, then only 19 years old.

"It was a very grevious breach of security," says a former R & AW chief. A 1962 batch IPS officer on deputation to the spy agency, the suave Kerala-born Unnikrishnan was earlier posted in Colombo and later in Chennai where he had access to sensitive information. He was finally tracked and trapped by the Intelligence Bureau in Mumbai where he had gone to meet his CIA handler.

Retired officials say the film's premise that he helped the LTTE is untrue. "He had no such intention," a former official says. "But he did incalculable harm to us by revealing all our plans to his handlers."

Read Full Article : INDIA TODAY

In Conversation With John Abraham And Shoojit Sircar

With their upcoming film Madras Café nearing its release, actor-producer John Abraham along with director Shoojit Sircar of Vicky Donor fame, give us an overview of their experience in working on the subject of civil war, a territory that has remained untouched in Indian cinema so far.

"It's a complete u-turn from Vicky Donor. Vicky Donor was no doubt also a sensitive film. However, Madras Café is a story of a soldier, Captain Vikram Singh, played by John who has been appointed to conduct covert operations in Sri Lanka," says Shoojit Sircar in an exclusive conversation with Screen team.

Shoojit says tackling the subject of a civil war has been both challenging as well as a new genre for him. "People have not seen nor have I ever tried to shoot a film based on a civil war. We've seen war films but not civil war," he says. "We've seen James Bond films but not any spy thrillers in the real sense. I hope I'm successful in catering something new to my audience."

When asked if taking up this film has proved to be somewhat risky for John, he says, "Films are a lot like cricket. People forget the last innings or your last film, and only remember the new one."

Reportedly having claimed that Madras Café is in par with Hollywood films like Argo, John clarifies, "What I tried to imply is that a film like Madras Café has never been made in this country. We've made a commercial hindi film. But to give you a benchmark, we've given examples like Argo and Body of Lies. However, we've not made a Hollywood film," he stresses.

Talking about the techniques as well as the research, he's used as a director, Shoojit says, "Firstly, we have not tried to take any sides in the film – neither the rebels, nor the peace fighters or the Prime Minister."

"There is a voice-over element in the film, which connects the story. It's all from John's point of view. It took me six years to develop the script. When it comes to research, it was mainly books. I read a lot of articles and I did check some government records." However, the director says with information available on the Internet, he didn't meet or interview any army officers.

When asked about how he got into the skin of the character – playing a soldier, John shares a touching scene from the film. "There is one scene in the film, where my wife gets some photographs and she asks me, 'Do you kill people for a living?' And I had to look at her and tell her 'the country's security is in my hands'. To perform that scene I needed to feel those emotions and saying those words...I've never felt more Indian…it gave me goose bumps," he says.

Though 'Madras Café' is based on a real-life incident, the film is a work of fiction. "We've taken inspiration from real-life characters. But, my character is fictitious," says John.

Talking about the film's title, "Wherever there are Indians, there is a Madras Café. Be it in Singapore, Bangkok, Chennai or Delhi. In the film, Madras Café is the place where certain things are intercepted and conspiracies are hatched," explains Shoojit. "At this Madras Café, you don't get idli-sambhar, only gun-powder," jokes John.

Being an actor-turned-producer, John Abraham reveals that he agreed to do the film because it was something new. "I like different kinds of subjects. And as a producer I need to marry content with commerce, because at the end of the day, we all need to make money. But, I'm very honored to be a part of this film."

Rockstar actress Nargis Fakhri will be seen reprising the role of a war correspondent in the spy-thriller. "The first time I met Nargis and showed her the script, she seemed apprehensive about pulling it off. So I sent her a lot of links on war stories and war correspondents, and so the next time she came to meet me, she was more prepared and had fully understood the depth of her character," says Shoojit.

Watch:Watch: Madras Cafe Official Trailer - HD

"She faced a lot of criticism for Rockstar, so she wasn't confident. But, it's the job of the director to hold the actor's hand. She has done a wonderful job with this film and this will be her re-launch," Shoojit says confidently with a hint of pride.

Having an interesting cast such as Siddharth Basu, Piyush Pandey and Agnello Dias, Shoojit says he wanted faces, which are credible. "Casting is very important. 50% of a director's job is done by the look of the cast alone, the rest depends on the craftsmanship of the director," he says.

The Madras Café team has been facing certain opposition from a pro-Tamil group claiming that the film depicts the Lite in bad light. "Post the Tamil group having problems, we have dubbed the film in Tamil. I'm sure they will be happy after seeing the film", says John reassuringly.

John confesses that promoting the film was one of the most challenging parts of the project. "It's much easier to sing and dance, trust me," he says. "But when you've got something serious to say, that's when it gets difficult. We are so scared of going wild in our films, because only the NRI's will love them," he says jokingly. However on a more serious note, he added, "Entertainment is not just about song and dance. It should give you the ability to think."

Talking about his expectations from the film, Shoojit says, "When you're doing a film on a civil war, it's a huge task on the part of the director to transport his audience to that civil war zone. If I am able to do that, I know then I have achieved my task."

On his part, John says he feels every Indian must watch Madras Café at some point to know what happened and how it happened, a series of events that changed the history of our country.

Courtesy: Indian Express

John Abraham and I talk With Eyes; Says Raashi Khanna

Actress Raashi Khanna may be a newbie in Bollywood, but the 22-year-old is a familiar face, thanks to the numerous ads she’s done.

"The casting director for Madras Cafe noticed me in one of the ads and called me for an audition. That’s how I bagged the role in the film,” says Khanna, for whom the feeling of acting in a Bollywood film is still sinking in. “I was nervous during the workshop. But it got better once I was on the film’s set. The feeling is still sinking in,” she says..

In Madras Cafe, Khanna plays actor John Abraham’s wife. “John is a great actor and a wonderful producer. I play John’s wife in the film, who often gets very lonely because John is always away as he’s in the army. But our love for each other in the film is intense and subtle at the same time. Between us, our eyes do the talking,” she says.

Khanna, a Delhi born-and-bred, says acting was never on her to-do list. “I was the Political Science topper in my school and pursued English (Hons) from LSR (Lady Shri Ram College for Women) as I wanted to get into writing. I also took up modelling during college and got noticed by a modelling agency. After moving to Mumbai, I got ads, and eventually got the film. So, whatever I planned didn’t happen. God had another plan for me,” she says.

In fact, Khanna’s father thought she’ll become an IAS officer while she harboured singing dreams. “I wanted to be a singer. Maybe I can pursue both now.” And, give actor-singer Ayushmann Khurrana competition? “Yeah... I’ll ask Shoojit (Sircar, director) to make us, Ayushmann and I, sing together,” she laughs.

Photos: Raashi Khanna On the First Launch Of Madras Cafe With john Abraham, Nargis Fakhri & Other Members

John Abraham Will Direct Big Budget Films With Newcomers?

Actor-producer John Abraham hopes to go behind the camera one day for a big budget film, starring newcomers.

"I will direct a big budget film with newcomers. I don't know why studios don't make big budget films with newcomers! We need to support them," John told media.

"Why do we only make big budget films with only top five actors, why aren't we getting mature? We all need to come out of that," added the actor, who produced the sleeper hit Vicky Donor, starring debutant Ayushmann Khurrana.

However, John, who is awaiting the release of his next project Madras Cafe, is not sure when he will direct a movie.

Watch: Madras Cafe official Trailer

"But for sure, I want to direct films. Whenever the right time comes, I will get into it."

Will Nargis Fakhri Next Munni or Sheela? Nargis Do An Item Number For Phata Poster Nikla Hero!

Nargis Fakhri to do an item number for Phata Poster Nikla Hero

From America's next top model to Kingfisher's calendar girl, Nargis, who made her debut alongside Bollywood heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor in Rockstar, has come a long. Though the actress has been swamped with endorsement deals, she has been absent from the silver screen. However, this year besides her featuring in Madras Café alongside John Abraham, we hear that Nargis will be seen doing an item number in Shahid Kapoor's next.

The film in question is the Rajkumar Santoshi directed venture Phata Poster Nikla Hero. Though details of the track are being kept under wraps, the song will be composed by Pritam, and choreographed by Bosco-Caeser. Phata Poster Nikla Hero features Ileana D'Cruz opposite Shahid.

John Abraham Starer "Madras Cafe" First Look Out - See Poster!

Here's the first poster of John Abraham's Madras Cafe, which spells the intense theme of the film. In this Shoojit Sircar's political thriller, Rockstar actress Nargis Fakri will be trying her luck at Bollywood again. Nargis essays the role of a foreign journalist.

The film briefly came under controversy when actress Leena Marie Paul, who was recently booked under multiple cheating cases was associated with the film. However the filmmakers said that the incarcerated actress was "never" a part of Madras Cafe.

The film also stars Vicky Donor fame Ayushmann Khurrana and is set to release on August 30.

Watch: Madras Cafe Official Trailer - HD | John Abraham & Nargis Fakhri