This is the reason Bollywood heartthrob John Abraham gives as to why he chooses scripts for unusual films rather than those of hardcore commercial cinema. “By the grace of god, I’ve plenty of prolific work on my plate. I love the family of directors I’m working with - Deepa, Sriram Raghavan, Nagesh Kukunoor and Imtiaz Ali.

No one can deny the fact that Abraham really gets into the body of the characters he plays and makes them fit like a glove. From his emotional debut in Jism (where his voice was dubbed), to his blockbuster hit Dhoom, he wants to make sure that he gets the character right.

Abraham put his heart and soul in the Oscar nominated film Water. He not only wore a dhoti but even learned to play the flute for the role. Director Deepa Mehta says that he was so prepared for the role that it shocked her. He will be working with Mehta again soon in her film Exclusion.

For now, it is Imtiaz Ali’s turn to be shocked as Abraham prepares for his film Rock Star  to the point of taking guitar lessons. “I don’t want to be an actor just to look good and wear trendy clothes on screen. I want to go deeper into my characters. It’s great fun to prepare for a role. I want to grow as an actor.”

What does he feel is his greatest strength as an actor? “My greatest strength as an actor is that I follow my director’s brief completely. The film is always the director’s visual baby.”

We look forward to his continuing along those lines in his soon to be released Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal.