John Abraham says he would not like to be ‘available for ₹299 or 499’ on OTT: ‘I am a big-screen hero’

John Abraham, who is busy promoting Ek Villain Returns, said he did not mind OTT platforms as a producer. In fact, he ‘loves’ them. But, as an actor, he saw himself only as a 'big-screen hero’.

Actor John Abraham is promoting his film Ek Villain Returns, which also stars actors Tara Sutaria, Arjun Kapoor, and Disha Patani. The action-thriller is produced by Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Motion Pictures and Bhushan Kumar’s T-Series. In a new interview, John, whose last film Attack Part 1 had an OTT release in May, almost two months after it released in theatres, spoke about why he wanted to stick to the big screen, as an actor.

John Abraham poses for pictures during the trailer launch of Attack, earlier in 2022. (AFP)

John, who is also a producer, said he ‘loved the OTT space’, but only when he was the producer, and not the actor. His production company, John Abraham Entertainment, has backed projects like the 2012 film Vicky Donor directed by Shoojit Sircar, and the 2013 film Madras Cafe, in which John also acted.

“As a producer, I love the OTT space. I would love to make films for the medium and cater to that audience. But as an actor, I am very clear that I want to be on the big screen,” he told ETimes.

John said he did not like the idea of people watching him on their screens at home by paying ‘ ₹299 or 499’ a month. He added he would be ‘offended’ if someone at home stopped watching his film midway. He said he was a ‘big-screen hero’, and that is where he wanted to remain.

“I am a big-screen hero and that is where I want to be seen. At this point, I will do films that cater to the big screen. I would find it offensive if someone shut off my film midway on a tablet because they needed to rush to the washroom. Also, I would not like to be available for ₹299 or 499. I have a problem with it,” John said.

Meanwhile John’s next, Ek Villain Returns, is scheduled for release on July 29. It was earlier slated to be released on July 8, 2022. The film is directed by Mohit Suri, who also directed the 2014 film Ek Villain.