Talking about his personal life while shooting for ‘Shootout at Wadala’, John Abraham laughed off rumours that he was engaged or married. “There have been a lot of speculations. There is no truth and nothing in what I have not spoken about. I am fiercely guarding this part of my life and I don’t want to speak about it because it puts it (the relationship) in a space that is very callous,” said John. He met the pretty investment banker Priya Runchal at a gym and they were gym buddies before they started dating. And how, over the months, the couple have reportedly gone from strength to strength. Had all those wildfire rumours about their engagement and marriage been -just that- rumours? “Right now, my relationship is in its very delicate, initial stages. It is too early to say,” he says. Unlike the highly-visible Bipasha, Priya is almost not there. And it seems her phantom-like presence is by design. Says John: “This is very sacred. You will never see me put my relationship on a pedestal for the world to see… you will never see me with my partner at a film function.” When asked if it still hurts when critics count his number of expressions, he says, “It does not. People who have seen ‘Water’ rate my performance highly. ‘Kabul Express’, ‘No Smoking’ are now considered great works. I am aware that my physicality outshines my performance, but someone told me that I should be apologetic about being a star,” he emphasises. Lessons from the tumultuous 2011 and the breakup? “Yes, I am a lot calmer, more responsible. I am, for the first time, spending a lot more time with my family and I have learnt to handle my personal space with a lot more care,” he says.
