What’s ‘weighing’ on John Abraham’s mind?

If there’s one thing that’s synonymous with Bollywood hunk John Abraham, then it’s his brawny bod. The actor, however, is keen to prove that there’s more to him than just a sexy butt and bulging biceps! Probably that’s also why John doesn’t mind shedding or gaining extra weight as and when required to suit the characters he’s playing on screen. In the past he has shed the kilos for Aashayein, then gained some for Dostana (Nagesh Kukunoor’s film was shot before the Tarun Mansukhani film though it released much later), then lost some weight for Jhootha Hi Sahi where he played a geek and then beefed up again for Nishikant Kamat’s remake of Kaakha Kaakha, where he plays a no-nonsense cop.

Now the buzz is that he’s been asked to tone down his muscled bod a few notches for the sequel of Dostana.

Being extremely health conscious, Abraham is well-aware of the risks this can pose for his body, but the actor feels that the sacrifice is worth the risk. “Besides, I manage the weight fluctuations in a very healthy way and never anything drastically. I do it gradually and patiently.” As for what’s more challenging of the two, Abraham says, “Getting the muscles back is tough, but losing them was tougher in the first place.”

Revealing that he’s not afraid to experiment, Abraham adds “I am game for donning new looks and playing versatile characters even if that means letting go of my sexy image. It’s great to be complimented for a good physique, but I would also want to gain more credibility as an actor.” That’s something the actor’s been garnering since the past few years with films like New York and Aashayein.

“Yes, I’m glad that people are finally taking note of my acting too,” he smiles. Seems like taking the risk was worth it after all? “I just don’t want to look good on screen, I want to look good doing what I’m meant to do. It’s taken hard-work and smiling through unflattering comments about my acting too to reach here. But I’ve taken it in my stride and tried to improve. That’s why I wasn’t even wary of playing a geek for Jhootha...” And which avatar of his does girlfriend and actor Bipasha Basu like him in the most? “My off screen one,” he laughs.