John Abraham On Mixed Response To His Stance On Russia-Ukraine War: ‘Most People Are Misinformed’ | Exclusive
John Abraham says his political opinions are not to please the ruling party or the opposition and adds being opinionated helps.
John Abraham isn’t afraid to put forth his political thoughts and opinions. During the promotions of The Diplomat, the actor expressed that he sides with Russia in its war with Ukraine. He added that the main reason of conflict between these nations is the NATO expansion and that even though he’s a ‘big fan’ of Russia, he doesn’t want people in either of these countries to die due to the war. While John’s political awareness left many impressed, others weren’t too happy. Some even referred to his take as half-baked information.
Now, in an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, he calls himself ‘geopolitically informed’ and reacting to the mixed responses to his stance on the Russia-Ukraine ongoing war, he tells us, “If you say ‘good morning’, you’ll definitely get an answer back that ‘what’s so good about the morning?’ People have an opinion on whatever you say. If they want to misconstrue your words, they’ll do that. If I’ve an opinion about animals, they’ll say why I’m not talking about human beings. If I say something about humans, they’ll say why I’m not talking about animals."
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In fact, John believes that those who rejected his stance are the ones who are ‘misinformed’. “If I say something about Russia, they’ll say why not about Ukraine and vice-versa. If I say something about Gaza, they’ll say why not about Israel and vice-versa. Yes, people are entitled to their own thoughts but most of them are misinformed. As long as your opinion is informed, it’s constructive but very few of us have informed opinions and we need to build on that," says the Pathaan actor.
Politics and dissent have always interested John. And he believes that his awareness has shaped him as an individual. “Being politically aware makes me have opinions. I think I’m not opinionated or judgmental, it’s just that I’ve opinions. I believe it’s very important to have one. In this country, there’s this narrative that we’re scared to voice our opinions," he states. At the same time, he admits that his opinions are not a way to please any political party.
Talking about it, he says, “It’s important to voice them bravely to the point that both the ruling government as well as the opposition are appreciative about the fact that you’ve done it. They know that it’s coming from a credible space and not out of any political inclination. If there are potholes on the road but I’m saying that the roads are beautiful, there’s a problem there. If women aren’t safe but I say that they are, there’s a problem there."
Further, John calls out those who choose not to vote and yet complain about the state of India today. “If we all put our opinions together, we can effect change. But if you don’t have an opinion and don’t care to vote as most people in metropolitan cities, then you don’t have the right to complain. In that case, you’re responsible for taking that right away from yourself, which is why it’s important to be politically aware," he remarks.
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