Bollywood's most eligible: Marriage for John

“I would love to get married some day,” utters the hunky John Abraham, who set many a hearts aflutter when he revealed earlier this year that he had split from his long-time girlfriend, actress Bipasha Basu.

But talking about his personal equation with investment banker, Priya Marwa, with whom Abraham has been recently sighted with across several nightspots in Mumbai, is not a conversation that’s on the cards tonight.

Speaking to 'Emirates24|7' in an exclusive chat, the actor said: “There was a time when I was very frank and open about my relationship, but now I guard my private space like Fort Knox,” said the actor, who was in Dubai earlier this week to promote his new film, “Desi Boyz”.

“But I will admit that I am at a stage in my life where I do see myself settling down to become the ideal husband; that is my goal,” comes his response.

Surely that’s the future wife’s prerogative to proclaim Abraham as a prize catch, but the actor just laughed and said: “I aspire to a Utopian mindset where I will be the perfect husband.”

How soon those wedding bells will ring is anybody’s guess, but the actor, however, rubbishes rumours and speculation by the Indian media that he is expected to tie the knot next year.

“My mother, of course, would be thrilled at such a prospect, but I haven’t firmed any plans. That’s just media generating stories to create news,” came the somewhat bitter response from the 38-year-old actor who has seen his personal life written about extensively over his eight years with Basu.

During this phase, the couple were said to have split innumerable times, what with Basu linked with Real Madrid football star Cristiano Ronaldo at one point, while Abraham linked with likes of actress, Vidya Balan.

“There was a time when things that were said in the public would bother me, thinking about how my family would react to the mudslinging. But over the years, even they have become veterans in deciphering between the truth and the lies,” he said.

Money matters

When films and his personal romantic interludes don’t take up his time, one would probably find Abraham catching up on the state of the world market, since the actor is an avid investor himself.

However, the lure of the multi-million dirham real estate projects across Dubai hold no value for the Bollywood star, who refuses to join the ranks of other A-list celebrities such as the Beckhams, Tiger Woods, Shah Rukh Khan and Shilpa Shetty by investing in property here.

 “I am not keen at all to invest in a home in Dubai, as this region overall has been very sensitive to the world economic movement.

“Plus, real estate is not a place where I would park my money these days; but rather look at the markets and play the field there.”

An MBA graduate himself, the 38-year-old actor says he shuns away from accountants or investment financial advisors and prefers to play the field himself by monitoring his own portfolio.

“I have extensive investments in the market, but I mainly stick to Mega-cap ETFs that promise a safer return,” he said, adding: “As an actor, I need to be practical too as I can’t give enough time to my portfolio as I would like, so I ensure that is practically doable and well balanced out.”

The money savvy actor, coincidentally, plays an investment banker in his upcoming flick that release across UAE cinemas on November 24, which sees 2008’s recession as its central premise, where Abraham’s on screen character is forced to choose an alternative career in pole dancing when his company downsizes him.

Talking about how the affects of the world economic downturn on his own personal life, Abraham revealed that contrary to his high profile career, as a man he is a very conservative spender.

He stated: “There is a line in my upcoming film where I say that whatever degree we hold or whatever job we perform, we all ultimately stop at the same traffic light when its time, and our positions and fame fails to matter here. This is what the recession has done to us all.

“Having said that, I am a very cautious spender, always have been; due to which my own personal spending was hardly curbed in anyway,” he revealed. “In fact, at any given time I hardly have money in my wallet and have to keep bumming off my driver.”

The joke doesn’t hide the fact that Abraham has developed himself into a lucrative brand.

Over the years, Abraham has launched his own clothing line, produced a music album by Pakistani pop band Strings, ventured into film production and recently is heard to have teamed up with retired South African cricketer, Jonty Rhodes to launch a company that manufactures nutritional supplements.

Looking at Abraham’s buff body, it shouldn’t be surprising if this venture bears fruit in the near future.

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