John Abraham attended the Bombay Scottish School and later graduated with a BA (Hons) in economics from Jai Hind College. He also went on to do an MMS course from Mumbai Educational Trust (MET). While in school he captained the soccer team and had once even thought of it as a viable career option. An avid sportsman, he also took up Taekwondo and was trained by master Javed Khan.
In March 99, he won the Gladrags Manhunt Contest and went to Singapore for Manhunt International, where he was the first runners up. Following this, he appeared in a number of commercial advertisements starting with Singapore and then India.
He made his film debut in 2003 as the lead in the controversial, erotic and emotional Jism. The film did well, and his work was noticed widely.
After his debut he starred in the paranormal Saaya (2003) (based on the Hollywood movie Butterfly Effect) and romantic Paap (2003). Unfortunately, neither did well at box-office.
John's first blockbuster smash hit came in 2004 when he took on the antihero role of 'Kabir' in Dhoom which was a smash hit in the Indian market - giving him the 'Macho Biker' tag.
Several movies followed, like Kaal (2005), Garam Masala (2005) and Taxi No 9211 (2006). None of these movies did well at the box office, but ensured a sturdy fan following.
In 2005, he had a major role in Water, which portrays the tragic fate of Hindu widows in pre-independent India. Directed by Deepa Mehta, the film was hugely popular overseas, and was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 79th Oscar Award, which exposed Abraham to a worldwide audience.
In 2006 Baabul, and Kabul Express were released and though domestically a financial disappointment, Baabul was hit in the overseas market.
Nikhil Advani's multi-starrer, Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love was Abraham's first release in 2007. The move failed to do well at the box office but again was a hit in the overseas market.
John is playing an environmental activist in Deepa Mehta's new film Luna (currently under production) starring Dustin Hoffman, Rachel Weiss and Chris Cooper.
John is also the brand ambassador for Castrol Power 1 and for the Yamaha Marque.
