Censors in India and Pakistan are 'very myopic', says John Abraham

Actor John Abraham, whose latest film Dishoom could not be released in Pakistan as the country's censor board did not clear it, said he was neither disappointed nor surprised as the censor boards in both India and Pakistan have been "very myopic".

Asked his opinion on the fate of Dishoom in Pakistan, John told IANS on telephone from Mumbai: "Well, I think censorship generally in both countries has been very myopic and consistently myopic. So, I am not disappointed, but I am also not surprised."

John, who plays a police officer in the film, said Dishoom was neither biased nor against any country. It was all about entertainment. "If you give a film an opportunity, if you see the film, you realise that it's not a biased or anti-country film. It's an entertaining film and it is meant for entertainment, but like I said, if you are myopic in your views, this is what happens," he added.

Dishoom, which was released in India last Friday, collected Rs37.32 crore in its opening weekend. John said he was happy with the "fantastic response" and grateful to fans for watching the film.

The 43-year-old said: "The rains have been incessant... I sat with [producer] Sajid Nadiadwala and the team in the studio and we spoke. We realised that we lost business of Rs4 crore over three days, but considering the fact that we've lost that business, we have still got a fantastic response in India and overseas."

John, who is gearing up for his next film Force 2, says he always wanted Dishoom to work, especially for its director Rohit Dhawan, brother of John's co-star in the film Varun Dhawan.