Hollywood has the iconic British spy James Bond to relish, but there’s no such spy in Hindi films to intrigue and tease you. At least not yet.
But Bollywood actor John Abraham, also known as the eternal hunk, is on a quest to change that and create a potent action franchise that could rival any international spy series.
Enter Force 2, out in the UAE this Thursday.
He returns as the police officer Yashvardhan who has to team up with the Indian Research and Analysis (RAW) team for an assignment to track down a sharp villain, played by Tahir Raj Bhasin.
His boss is KK, played by Sonakshi Sinha, and their dangerous mission takes them to Budapest and China (Thailand is dressed up as China due to shooting restrictions).
Abraham claims that this will be a film that will shatter stereotypes and show a woman who’s empowered and strong.
“Sonakshi is my boss and we are on an equal footing here. It’s wonderful to be a part of a film where the protagonists and the antagonist have strong roles. It’s not your usual larger-than-life hero with a soft villain,” said Abraham in an interview with Gulf News tabloid!.
Abraham, who was last seen in Dishoom, has also co-produced this film.
Gulf News tabloid! spoke to the lead pair to get to the bottom of the story. Here’s a blow-by-blow account of Force 2 and what it has in store for you …
“In Force 2, the stakes are bigger and you are trying to save your country”
John Abraham: While the 2011 Force was a story about ACP [Assistant Commissioner of Police] Yashvardhan, and him trying to save those close to him, Force 2 touches a broader base. I have lost my wife in the sequel and I [have] a death-wish, taking on dangerous assignments. I have to work with a RAW officer, KK, played by Sonakshi Sinha, for an assignment. There’s a larger cause involved and if we fail, our country could go down.
“We work together, but we don’t fall in love at the end of the film”
Sonakshi Sinha: It was absolutely refreshing that we are working together throughout the film where actors don’t end up in love. It’s such a cliche and it happens in almost every film. Here, I am actually playing his superior. She’s a strong woman and the dialogue in which she takes offence to the fact that he [Yashvardhan] thought KK was a man initially, felt great to say. This is such an empowering role. KK is a feminist and is an alpha female, too. She knows she’s working in a man’s world and she knows those rules. This is one of my favourite roles in my career because she’s a strong woman.
“Force 2 has a menacing villain”
Abraham: When Stephen Hawking [the physicist] was asked what would role would he love to play, he said in an interview that he wants to be cast as villain in a James Bond film. He believed that the bad guy wields so much power over Bond. He controls minds. That’s how neat our villain is going to be. Tahir Bhasin is the antagonist and he’s fantastic. He looks like a regular guy, who can do no harm. He can slip through the crowds and go unnoticed, but his mind is sharp. So this film will have a strong, menacing villain whose role is as strong as the lead actors.
“This is not a Pakistan-bashing film”
Abraham: The easy route would be to bash our neighbouring country. But this action film will compel you to ask questions about your own country, our government policies and the way we function. It’s not jingoistic. This is a credible film that doesn’t turn patriotic or preachy. It’s a thoroughly entertaining film.
“We want Force 2 to bring about change in the lives of RAW agents”
Sinha: For our roles, we met some former raw agents who spent 11 years in a jail in Pakistan. They have sacrificed their lives for our country. But did you know that if they are caught, their native country disowns them? So we have tried to get a petition out there to request the government to acknowledge their efforts.
Abraham: I remember meeting a family in Eastern Europe and when I walked out of there, someone asked me if I realised that there was an undercover spy in there. I expressed my surprise at the husband who looked like a regular bloke, but they told me: ‘It’s not him, but her’. That’s how tricky the world of espionage is. For Force 2, we have borrowed from true stories from Indian spies who worked in different countries. We spoke to a captain’s family whose body was sent back to India cut into pieces. All his family wanted was to at least call him an Indian after his death. It is protocol that the spies don’t belong to their country of birth, so we want their efforts to be recognised after this film.
“The action is the by-product of a great story … And yes, Sonakshi loved carrying a gun”
Abraham: Force 2 had the best action directors from around the world. We had Franz Spilhaus, the action director who worked on District 9, helping us. Then, we had the legendary Indian action director Allan Amin, who worked in films such as Dishoom, working on this film.
But what makes this film different is that Sonakshi also drives the action forward. She did not want any stunt doubles and was eager to do the stunts herself. There’s a scene where she’s driving a car at 100km/h and I am dangling a villain with the back door open and there are motorcycles flying past us. It was a tough scene, but Sonakshi wanted to do it herself. The action in this film will blow your mind.
Sinha: When I had a gun with me, my entire walk, attitude and the way I talked changed. I was game to do all the action sequences. Suspend me from a building or put me in a speeding car, I told the director.
“She’s a natural”
Abraham: As an actor who loves doing his own stunts, I can vouch that Sonakshi is a complete natural at action. I always believe that in stunts, it’s your attitude that counts as much as your skill set and training.
Sinha: My Mixed Martial Arts training for Akira helped me tremendously for this role. I had the stamina and flexibility to do the stunts. But I am a person who can’t spend more than 45 minutes in the gym. John lives in the gym though.
Don’t miss it!
Force 2 is out in the UAE on November 17.
