John Abraham’s got plenty to say about censorship, and honestly, he doesn’t sugarcoat it. The actor laid it out—getting his film ‘Tehran’ cleared wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.
The politics, the hoops you have to jump through, all just to get your movie seen? He’s seen it up close.
John Abraham: I’m grateful to the Ministry of External Affairs
John Abraham didn’t shy away from giving credit where it’s due, though. “I don’t think this film (Tehran) would have made it to theatres, to be straight with you. I’m grateful to the Ministry of External Affairs,” he admitted. That right there? It says a lot about how much red tape filmmakers have to deal with.
When Sardesai asked whether he’d rather get rid of the censor board or just have it dialled way down, John didn’t go extreme either way. He gets why censorship exists—he just doesn’t think it’s working all that well right now. “You need censorship, but the way it’s being run? Big question mark,” he said. It’s all about trying to strike some kind of balance between what filmmakers want to say and what the powers-that-be will allow.
I’m not right-wing, I’m not left-wing—I’m apolitical
John Abraham made it clear he’s not out here to push any political agenda. “I’m not right-wing, I’m not left-wing—I’m apolitical, but I pay attention. I want to be honest with my audience,” he said. That honesty, for him, matters more than ticking boxes.
There’s one thing that really bothers him, though: movies with a heavy political tilt—especially the ones that rake in big bucks because of it. “What worries me is when right-wing films draw huge crowds. That’s when you start asking yourself: Do I go commercial, or do I stick to what I believe in? I’ve picked the latter,” he said. ‘Tehran’ isn’t a patriotic flag-waver, he pointed out. It’s set in 2012, and it shows India the way it was—not the way people want to pretend it was. The trailer even spells it out: “India has deserted me.”
Would he ever cash in on a right-wing narrative? Not a chance. “When films are made just to sway people in today’s political climate—and they find an audience—that’s scary to me,” he said. It’s just not a path he’s interested in. He compared it to making adult comedies—he can’t do those either. “It’s just not my thing.”
Dealing with the censor board, according to John, is a mixed bag. “We’ve been pulled up more than once, but there are people there who listen. If you can find the right person, get your point across, sometimes you get lucky,” he explained.
He wrapped it up by acknowledging the risks he takes. “I know exactly what I’m signing up for. Even with ‘Tehran’, I knew the risks. But in this business, the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. And honestly, if you want your work to matter, you’ve got to take those risks.”
