satyamev Jayate 2 director Milap Zaveri on John Abrahams contribution at the script level
John Abraham
"I'd message him even at 2 am, if I got a punchline," says Milap Zaveri, director of Satyamev Jayate 2 as he credits John Abraham for always lending him a ear. The director along with his entire crew were ready to begin shoot in April, but the lockdown played havoc with their schedule. Following the government approved safety norms, armed with an action-packed story and with the backing of his team, Zaveri is set to begin shoot in August.
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In the interim, the filmmaker says that they have been fine-tuning the script with inputs from Abraham. "It's always a mutual collaboration with John. During the lockdown, we would discuss the script. He often gave his inputs and I have incorporated suggestions that I agreed with." Zaveri further adds that time was never a constraint with Abraham as he would respond to the director's message even at the dead of night.
Reminiscing the process of scripting during Satyamev Jayate, the director [says that] Abraham [gave] impromptu suggestions on set. "One of the punchlines we used in the previous film, 'Ab duniya ka koi bhi mard yeh tanaa nahi marega ki tune choodiya pehni hai kya?', was John's idea. He felt I needed to add some more punch to the scene. He had said, 'What's the point of having Milap Zaveri as my director, if I don't get one more punchline?'"
While it may seem common for lead actors to ideate in the scripting process, Zaveri insists that Abraham never crosses the line. "John eventually does what the director asks of him. He never insists on getting his way. Some of the suggestions were incorporated because they were really good, but I still make the final call."
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