Anurag Kashyap praises John Abraham’s performance in ‘The Diplomat’, needs ‘subject’ for ‘No Smoking 2’

Anurag Kashyap praises John Abraham's performance in political thriller The Diplomat, sparking talks of a No Smoking sequel.

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap is impressed by John Abraham’s performance in The Diplomat, a political thriller film directed by Shivam Nair and releasing in theatres on March 14.

Written by Ritesh Shah, The Diplomat is purportedly inspired by a true story. It follows the journey of an Indian diplomat involved in a high-stakes case.

In a conversation with The Hindu, Kashyap, who had directed Abraham in the cult film No Smoking (2007), said, “I really liked The Diplomat. I told John, ‘after a long time I am seeing you being a very good actor’. He is not doing unnecessary action or herogiri in the film. He is solely playing a character. And Shivam Nair has made a really engaging film.”

Abraham, in a recent interview, reiterated his desire to make a sequel to No Smoking. A Kafkaesque romp about addiction, ego and individual freedom, the surreal and darkly comic film has risen to cult status despite being a box-office bomb upon release. Abraham also picked the movie as his personal favourite work.

“I was congratulating John and he again said, yaar let’s do No Smoking 2,” Kashyap shared.

The filmmaker said he needs a thrilling and appropriate ‘subject’ to design a sequel. “John really means it but I want a subject. Over a period of time, a film achieves a cult following. So it becomes even more scary to meet people’s expectations. I want to go into that zone only if the subject matter is unique.”

Kashyap’s upcoming directorials are Kennedy and a film starring Bobby Deol and Joju George.