Vivek Agnihotri slams John Abraham for ‘mediocre acting' in Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal: He couldn't say 5 lines of dialogue

Hindustan Times

21-06-2025

Bollywood filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri once again talked about the problems he faced while making the 2007 film Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal. In an interview with Dainik Bhaskar, the filmmaker recalled how John Abraham came on board due to Anurag Kashyap and took a dig at his acting skills, calling it "mediocre". (Also Read: Vivek Agnihotri says Bollywood is in shambles: 'There's a mad rush to release old films') Vivek Agnihotri takes a dig at John Abraham's acting skills.
Vivek Agnihotri recently spoke about the behind-the-scenes events during the making of the film Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal. He revealed that when he was working on the film, the production house UTV didn't consider him a capable writer. According to him, UTV was fascinated by the idea of working with Anurag Kashyap, even though the film's subject did not align with him. Citing industry chatter, Vivek dismissed Anurag's claim that he wasn't even taken along for the film's London schedule, stating that John had come on board primarily because of Anurag.
Vivek said that Goal was still a good film for its time, with the film's songs becoming chartbusters. He added, "But there were many problems during that time. In the middle of it all, Bipasha Basu and John Abraham broke up during the making of the film. When you're in love, you have to deal with one set of issues, and after a breakup, a whole new set of problems arises. So, it became very difficult for me to manage everything. Even though I was the director of the film, the entire system was functioning based on the intelligence of a very mediocre actor." Vivek criticises John Abraham, praises Anurag Kashyap
Vivek criticised John for his "mediocre acting" and said, "Everyone was like, 'Let's take John, he is a footballer. That's how he became a part of the film. But you tell me, if it's a film about football, what should an actor do? We called a premium league coach to train Arshad Warsi, Raj Joshi, and they all put their soul in preparing, but in all of John's scenes, we had to shoot his face and feet separately. And Arshad had given his all for that film. He questioned me on things, he didn't tell me, 'reduce my dialogues' Why? Because you can't say them at once? You can't say five lines of dialogues in rhythm at once. This is your problem. Then why should these actor be given so much money?" About Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal
Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal is a 2007 Indian sports drama film directed by Vivek Agnihotri. Set in the UK, the film revolves around a struggling South Asian football club, Southall United, and their journey to regain lost glory. Featuring an ensemble cast including John Abraham, Arshad Warsi, and Bipasha Basu, the story explores themes of identity, racism, and community spirit through the lens of football.
Meanwhile, Vivek is now awaiting the release of his upcoming directorial, titled The Bengal Files: Right to Life. It is believed that Vivek's film will delve into the politics of 1940s in Bengal. The film stars Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, and Govind Namdev, among others, in key roles and is scheduled to release in theatres on 5 September 2025.