13 December,2024 12:09 PM IST | Mumbai | Bohni Bandyopadhyay
John Abraham
Shah Rukh Khan's famous dialogue - âHaar ke jeetne wale ko baazigar kehte hain' - was born of a Formula 2 car racing scene in the film Baazigar (1993). Despite ample car and bike chase sequences in Indian movies, very few have based their storyline on this high-risk sport. Saif Ali Khan did play a professional car racer in Ta Ra Rum Pum (2007) but the movie was hardly watchable.
John Abraham has been planning a film on bike racing for a long time. He had earlier said that Ajay Kapoor would be producing the film, to be directed by Rensil D'Silva. The film is set to roll next year, John told Mid-day at the Indian racing Festival.
He is probably the best person to make a film on the sport since he has been a passionate biker, in real life and in one of his most successful films, Dhoom (2004). He also co-owns the team Goa Aces which won the title at the 2024 Indian Racing League (IRL) at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore.
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"I needed an excuse to get into motor racing," John told Mid-day in Coimbatore. "Here I am the co-owner of a fantastic racing team. I want to do a film on motorcycle racing, that's starting next year, probably in August or September. It's in the Isle of Man."
Isle of Man has been the hub of motorsports for over a century now, with the Tourist Trophy, an annual motorcycle racing event, being held there since 1907.
"I'm lucky that I can merge my sporting passion into films," John continues. "And I can use my film star status in sports. I can influence youngsters to get into more sports, be it motorcycle racing or formula racing. Honestly, if you see the number of deaths on the roads in India, if you have a passion for speed, a race track is the safest place to do it. I'd encourage youngsters that listen, âYou want to drive a great car or a motorcycle, do it on a track.' There's no point going fast on the roads, which is why I am also developing my own helmet line," said the actor who has always been vocal about road safety.
