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John Abraham has bought a new home, and no it does not mean that the Dhoom star is getting ready to tie the knot with Bipasha Basu though he says they would love to get married - their respective careers willing.

Talking about his new home in Mumbai's Bandra Bandstand, John says: "It's right in the middle of Shah Rukh and Salman Khan's homes. Nice to have an Abraham between two King Khans, don't you think?"
"I'm getting a terrace constructed into it, so I can have story sessions at home," he confesses shyly.

So is this part of the preparation to finally marry Bipasha?
John laughs, "I wish it was. Though we both firmly believe in the institution of marriage and would love to get married, our respective careers have taken off in a big way. I see Bipasha being extremely busy for the next couple of years. She has now begun to sign big banners and top-line projects including Dhoom 2.

"In any case everyone knows we're a couple. We've never pretended to be 'just good friends'. So marriage would just be an inevitable conclusion to a relationship that's common knowledge. More than love, I respect Bipasha. It would be my greatest joy to marry the woman I love and respect."

John takes great pride in his woman's sudden and startling weight loss. "Bipasha works even harder than me at the gym. Her energy and drive just zap me. She's completely made over. Bipasha has just begun her second innings, and so have I."

Understandably John is said to be very upset about not being part of the Dhoom sequel. "I can't pretend I didn't want to be part of Dhoom 2 . Abhishek and Uday are such lovely boys. Working with them felt like one big family. I felt the same again while working with Ajay and Vivek in Kaal ...I'm too happy to see Bipasha working with Abhishek and Uday, and of course with Hrithik Roshan who's such a great guy himself."

John is very excited about the rewards of Dhoom . "It has undoubtedly been a turning point for me. I got my first Indian popular award for the performance. I think doing a villain's role is so tough.

But even tougher is comedy which I'm now doing in Priyadarshan's Garam Masala with Akshay Kumar who has repeatedly proved how good he is at comedy. If I can swing this, I know I've arrived. Because to me comedy is the toughest aspect of acting."

Right now, John is looking forward to Deepa Mehta's Water , which releases in November. "I learnt to play the flute, and wear a dhoti for the film. But the best part of working in 'Water' was that I got to interact with the amazing Waheeda Rehman who is arguably the most beautiful actress of our cinema. She's so full of experience, and life. Her zest for living is exemplary.

"Such experiences are helping me to wade in different waters. In Ravi Chopra's Babul I get to do full-on masala film for the first time. It's a great role... And I don't care who all were approached to play Rani Mukherjee's second husband. I grabbed it the minute I heard it. I'm also looking forward to Milan Luthria's song-less thriller which Ramesh Sippy is producing. It was earlier called 'Ittefaq'. In terms of screenplay it's as innovative as Mani Ratnam's Yuva . It's got me and Nana Patekar in two parallel stories running in real time. I am choosing my projects very carefully. No false moves, I hope. And no mo'bikes. I've got to zoom on."

The fan following grows. "I've this terrible habit of jumping into the middle of fans. I get too excited. I've to curb that tendency. I know it's too dangerous. But I feel the fans will feel cheated if I distance myself."

About the tepid response to his last release John explains, " Karam wasn't half as bad as some of the other new films. It was slow, yes. But it had layers of meaning which came out as you watched the plot unfold. Both Bipasha and I are comfortable doing unconventional films. But we've to move on. I'd love to do a Karan Johar or a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film."