The whole of Bollywood knows that there is no bigger football fan in Bollywood than John. In fact John is so passionate about football that he has joined hands with the national footballer Baichung Bhutia to promote the game.

If there’s any doubt about John’s involvement with football here’s further and unquestionable evidence. In the last few weeks John, whose Bandra residence has been under renovation for nearly a year now, put all the construction work on his family house on hold just to focus on …building a home theatre!

John wanted it to be ready in time for the Football World Cup matches which begun on Friday.

After much nervousness tension and anxiety John’s dream home-theatre was ready on time.

Says John, “I wanted the home theatre to be ready this week only so that me and my near and dear ones could watch the World Cup matches. We focused entirely on that aspect of the renovation and I drove the workers crazy with my constant instructions. You see, it was very simple. I needed my home theatre to watch the World Cup. It was as simple as that!”

Apparently Bipasha, who is also a football fan (though admittedly not a fanatic like John) was driven up the wall while dear John got his dream theatre in place.

Laughs John, “I wouldn’t call it my dream theatre because there’s nothing dreamy about it. It’s all very very functional. Since the home theatre is on the terrace I am petrified about water seeping into the equipment during the rains. So the equipment is also very very basic. We’re a very basic, middle class family.”

Perking up he says, “But guess what? My family and friends are going to have great fun. From Friday onwards we will have loads and loads of food in the house and are going be huddled together in my home theater to freak out on the World Cup matches.”

The rest of the renovation work in John Abraham’s can now be resumed.

Explains John, “The matches start late evening. So the construction workers can leave before that. And we’ll settle down for the matches.”

And then comes John’s parting shot. “Do you know that there’s a national-level American footballer named John Abraham?’

-Subhash K Jha/ Sampurn Wire