fter a series of delays and legal hassles, Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran, starring John Abraham and Diana Penty, finally hit the screens on May 25.
The espionage thriller tells the tale of India's journey to become a nuclear power. It is a fictionalized account of the 1998 nuclear tests in Pokhran. John plays the role of Ashwat Raina, an Indian Administrative Officer, who has to carry out India's nuclear programme in utmost secrecy, and avoid being caught by the American surveillance systems.
However, the film has been receiving mixed reviews as critics are not entirely impressed with the over-the-top patriotic tone of the film.
Yet, despite the IPL semi-final, the film still managed to entertain its audience and went on to earn Rs 4.82 crore.
Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran will face some competition at the box office, as Alia Bhatt's Raazi is continuing its victory march, and Hollywood film Deadpool 2 is setting cash registers ringing.
On what drew John Abraham to Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran;
"Abhishek [Sharma] and me have been wanting to work together for some time. I told Sanyuktha [Shaikh Chawla, co-writer of Bobby Jasoos and Neerja), the development head, that this is a cracker of an idea and we have to develop it in-house.
I put on two films for my team: Eye in the Sky and Argo. I asked, 'What's your inference from these two films?' The response was that it was nail-biting. There was this whole "Will it happen? Won't it happen?" That's what I want Parmanu to be - an engrossing thriller rather than a jingoistic patriotic film.
Content is the biggest player for me as a producer and actor too. Do I like doing commercial masala films? Yes I do. At JA Entertainment we want to do really high content-driven films that make money for everybody in the distribution chain. Parmanu had those right ingredients. I have learnt from Madras Cafe which was still niche and extremely intelligent. With Parmanu we wanted more people to see our film. We wanted to simplify out story without dumbing it down.
On why he hasn't played the jingoistic card in the film;
I'm a very apolitical person. I am politically aware both nationally and internationally not because I want to show people I know but because I love reading up. I was told that Madras Cafe is a flag for Congress. Many may say that Parmanu promotes BJP. I have not taken any political sides. I have total respect for Atal Bihari Vajpayee who green lit the Pokhran test.
I'm a very apolitical person. I am politically aware both nationally and internationally not because I want to show people I know but because I love reading up. I was told that Madras Cafe is a flag for Congress. Many may say that Parmanu promotes BJP. I have not taken any political sides. I have total respect for Atal Bihari Vajpayee who green lit the Pokhran test.
I'm saying if we today as youngsters we feel it's really cool to be Indian, it's because of May 11, 1998 3.45pm when we conducted those nuclear tests. It's the most defining moment in Indian history which shaped the course of India.
On the significance of Pokhran tests;
I'm a non-violent person by nature. I have not raised a finger on anyone in my life. I was very clear that my film shouldn't propagate violence. India did the tests to be a self-sustaining nation. We didn't go nuclear to nuke Pakistan or China. It was just to iterate that 'Don't mess with us. We can hold our ground.'
I'm a non-violent person by nature. I have not raised a finger on anyone in my life. I was very clear that my film shouldn't propagate violence. India did the tests to be a self-sustaining nation. We didn't go nuclear to nuke Pakistan or China. It was just to iterate that 'Don't mess with us. We can hold our ground.'
It's the biggest case of nuclear espionage. We hoodwinked Americans under their noses.
On whether there was misjudgement on his part in partnering with KriArj Entertainment;
Totally. I concede. I take responsibility for choosing the partners I did. I must admit that even though I did my background check and got a green signal, I was wrong in my judgement. There was a lot of collateral damage. I have few days to push a film like Parmanu. Fortunately for us stars aligned and the High Court judgement came on May 10 and on May 11, the day of Pokhran launch, we unveiled the trailer.
Totally. I concede. I take responsibility for choosing the partners I did. I must admit that even though I did my background check and got a green signal, I was wrong in my judgement. There was a lot of collateral damage. I have few days to push a film like Parmanu. Fortunately for us stars aligned and the High Court judgement came on May 10 and on May 11, the day of Pokhran launch, we unveiled the trailer.
I have no time to sit and complain about them [KriArj] or indulge in mudslinging in public. You are a creative person and you move on. You want to be happy with product you have made and release it. My credibility is more important than my career. I don't want people to question my honesty and my work ethic. I'm thankful HC for validating what I said with their judgement.