John Abraham is an Indian actor, film producer and former model who has featured in over 50 films. [1] [2] After a successful career as a model, Abraham began his acting career with Jism in 2003, which was a box office success. In the same year, he appeared in Anurag Basu's supernatural romantic thriller film Saaya and Pooja Bhatt's directorial crime thriller film Paap . [3] Abraham starred as Kabir in the multi-starrer Dhoom , an action film directed by Sanjay Gadhvi, and produced by Yash Raj Films. The film was the third highest-grossing film of the year, [4] and earned him a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role.
In 2008, John starred alongside Abhishek Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra in Dostana , his sole release that year. Dostana became a commercial success and grossed over ₹871 million, becoming one of the highest grossing Hindi films of 2008. [5] His films have ranged from action films such as Dhoom (2004), Karam (2005), Viruddh (2005), Race 2 (2013), Shootout at Wadala (2013), Zinda (2006), Satyameva Jayate (2018), Mumbai Saga (2021), and Pathaan (2023), Jism (2003), Aetbaar (2004), New York (2009) and 7 Khoon Maaf (2011) and Tariq (2025). [6]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Jism | Kabir Lal | [7] | |
| Saaya | Aakash Bhatnagar | [8] | ||
| Paap | Shiven Verma | [9] | ||
| 2004 | Aetbaar | Aryan Trivedi | [10] | |
| Lakeer | Saahil Mishra | [11] | ||
| Dhoom | Kabir Sharma | [12] | ||
| Madhoshi | Aman Joshi | [13] | ||
| 2005 | Elaan | Abhimanyu Singh | [14] | |
| Karam | John Wargas | [15] | ||
| Kaal | Krish Thapar | [16] | ||
| Viruddh | Amar Patwardhan | [17] | ||
| Water | Narayan Dutt | [18] | ||
| Garam Masala | Shyam "Sam" Salgaonkar | [19] | ||
| 2006 | Zinda | Rohit Chopra | [20] | |
| Taxi No. 9211 | Jai Mittal | [21] | ||
| Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna | DJ | Cameo | [22] | |
| Baabul | Rajat Verma | [23] | ||
| Kabul Express | Suhel Khan | [24] | ||
| 2007 | Salaam-e-Ishq | Ashutosh Raina | [25] | |
| No Smoking | K | [26] | ||
| Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal | Sunny Bhasin | [27] | ||
| 2008 | Dostana | Kunal Chauhan | [28] [29] | |
| 2009 | New York | Sameer "Sam" Sheikh | [30] | |
| 2010 | Aashayein | Rahul Sharma | [31] | |
| Phillum City | himself | Unreleased | ||
| Jhootha Hi Sahi | Siddharth Arya (Fidato) | [32] | ||
| 2011 | 7 Khoon Maaf | Jamshed Singh Rathod (Jimmy Stetson) | [33] | |
| Force | A.C.P Yashvardhan "Yash" Singh | [34] | ||
| Desi Boyz | Nikhil "Nick" Mathur | [35] [36] | ||
| 2012 | Housefull 2 | Max Mehrotkar | [37] | |
| Vicky Donor | Himself | Special appearance in the song "Rum Whisky"; Also producer | [38] | |
| 2013 | Race 2 | Armaan Malik | [39] | |
| I, Me Aur Main | Ishaan Sabharwal | [40] | ||
| Shootout at Wadala | Manya Surve | [41] | ||
| Madras Cafe | Major Vikram Singh | Also producer | [42] | |
| 2015 | Welcome Back | Ajay Barsi (Ajju Bhai) | [43] | |
| Jazbaa | Satam | Cameo | [44] | |
| 2016 | Wazir | SP Vijay Mallik | [45] | |
| Rocky Handsome | Kabir Ahlawat (Rocky Handsome) | Also producer; playback singer for the song "Alfazon Ki Tarah (Unplugged)" | [46] | |
| Dishoom | Kabir Shergill | [47] | ||
| Force 2 | A.C.P Yashvardhan "Yash" Singh | Also producer | [48] | |
| 2018 | Parmanu | Ashwat Raina | [49] | |
| Satyameva Jayate | Virendra "Vir" Rathod | [50] | ||
| Savita Damodar Paranjpe | — | Producer; Marathi film | [51] | |
| 2019 | Romeo Akbar Walter | Rehamatullah "Romeo" Ali / Akbar Malik / Walter Khan | [52] | |
| Batla House | Sanjeev Kumar Yadav | Also producer | [53] [54] | |
| Pagalpanti | Raj Kishore | [55] | ||
| 2021 | Mumbai Saga | Amartya Rao Naik | [56] | |
| Sardar Ka Grandson | Gursher Singh | Also producer; cameo | [57] | |
| Satyameva Jayate 2 | Activist Dadasaheb Balram Azad / Home Minister Satya Balram Azad / A.C.P Jay Balram Azad [a] | [58] | ||
| 2022 | Attack | Major Arjun Shergill | Also screenwriter and producer | [59] |
| Ek Villain Returns | Bhairav Purohit | [60] | ||
| Mike | — | Producer; Malayalam film | [61] | |
| Tara Vs Bilal | — | Producer | [62] | |
| 2023 | Pathaan | Jim | [63] | |
| 2024 | Woh Bhi Din The | Rahul Sinha | Also producer; Cameo | [64] |
| Vedaa | Major Abhimanyu Kanwar | Also producer | [65] | |
| 2025 | The Diplomat | J.P. Singh | [66] | |
| Tehran | ACP Rajeev Kumar | [67] | ||
| Tariq † | Virendra "Vir" Purohit | [68] | ||
| 2026 | Untitled Rohit Shetty film† | Rakesh Maria | Filming | [69] |
| Year | Title | Performer | Language | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | "Mahek" | Pankaj Udhas | Hindi | [70] |
| 2001 | "Teri Jhanjhar Kisne Banayi" | Hans Raj Hans | Punjabi | [70] |
| 2002 | "Husna Di Sarkar" | Jazzy B | [71] | |
| 2008 | "Koi Aanay Wala Hai" | Strings | Urdu | [72] |
| 2013 | "Betiyaan (Save the Girl Child)" | Shankar Mahadevan, Sunidhi Chauhan, Sonu Nigam | Hindi | [73] |
You won't believe but many people have come up to me and said that Karam was their favourite film. How strange is that?