There are only a few actors in Bollywood today who are working on multiple films. While Akshay Kumar's lineup has as many as 10 films, Ajay Devgn and Kartik Aaryan have around half a dozen films each to their names. In the midst of this, one big-name actor who is quietly completing film after film without announcing any release dates is John Abraham. His approach seems to be simple: Let the situation normalize and then strategize the release calendar.
The films that he is working on? Pathan, Satyameva Jayate 2, Attack, Ek Villain 2 and a remake of Ayyappanum Koshiyum. The majority of these films have action as the core genre, and that's a territory where John Abraham has excelled in a big way in the last couple of decades (more on that later).
Mighty hero, mighty villain
The most-anticipated film in John Abraham's line-up right now is of course Pathan. The film, which has been in news as the comeback vehicle for Shah Rukh Khan, is being backed by Yash Raj Films (YRF).
Of course, a mighty hero needs a mighty villain to make a mighty impression, and this is where John Abraham comes into the picture. Reports are that he has one of the most defining roles in this YRF production since Dhoom and New York. With the budget of this Sidharth Anand-directed film in the range of Rs200 crore, this one is as big as it gets.
Then, of course, there is John Abraham's pet project Satyameva Jayate 2. When the first part had released, it had (pleasantly) shocked the trade by taking a mighty opening of Rs19.5 crore - and that when it released around the same time as Akshay Kumar's Gold, which did opening business of Rs25.25 crore. This was the time when John Abraham's action might was on full display, and though the film narrowly missed the Rs100 Crore Club, it laid the groundwork for Satyameva Jayate 2.
This patriotic saga by Milap Zaveri is now ready, and is set to be the first John Abraham-starrer to arrive in theaters once the actor firms up launch plans with producers Nikkhil Advani and Bhushan Kumar.
Planned Attack
One decision that John Abraham would be taking solo, though, is for the release plan for Attack - considering he is also the producer of the film.
Nothing has been revealed about the core plot of the film so far. But those close to John Abraham say that the actor is charged up about this film because it has never-seen-before action.
This is by far the most expensive film that John Abraham has produced, and will likely get a full-blown theatrical release when the time is right.
Valentine's Day 2022
Ek Villain Returns is slated for release on Valentine's Day 2022. Director Mohit Suri had delivered a Rs100 Crore Club superhit when Sidharth Malhotra, Riteish Deshmukh and Shraddha Kapoor came together for Ek Villain. Now, with John Abraham spearheading the cast which includes Arjun Kapoor, Disha Patani and Tara Sutaria, producer Ekta Kapoor is already gung-ho about the prospects of the romantic-action musical. Expect a lot of villainy from John here.
As for the remake of Ayyappanum Koshiyum, this could be a fun film. The Malayalam original with Prithviraj Sukumaran and Biju Menon had a lot of dynamic moments between the two actors. Now, with John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan sharing the frame again after Dhoom and Dostana, this could be a tussle that makes heads turn. The original version had limited action scenes and those too were realistic, though. With John Abraham as an actor as well as the producer of the film, one can expect a much higher decibel version.
Timelines
Shooting for the Ayyappanum Koshiyum remake has yet to begin, while Satyameva Jayate 2 and Attack are in an extensive post-production schedule. Shooting for Pathan and Ek Villain Returns is on, and both films are scheduled for 2022. This means that before the close of year, one can expect only Satyameva Jayate 2 to release - though John Abraham isn't in any tearing hurry to release this film either. After all, he has been patient all this while - Mumbai Saga has already suffered the brunt of a pandemic release; he obviously wouldn't want that for another one of his films.
Of course this also means that in the midst of all this, he is poised to go ahead and start making more films.
John Abraham's best performing action movies
Batla House - Rs99.5 crore
Satyameva Jayate - Rs90 crore
Parmanu: The Story of Pokharan - Rs65 crore
Madras Cafe - Rs42.67 crore
Force 2 - Rs36 crore
Upcoming John Abraham films
Pathan
Satyameva Jayate 2
Attack
Ek Villain Returns
Ayyappanum Koshiyum remake
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