Acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur has shared his thoughts on which Bollywood star could step into the shoes of the next James Bond.
In his latest post on X, the Masoom director backed John Abraham as a strong contender to succeed Daniel Craig as the iconic spy.
Shekhar said John possesses the perfect “shaken, not stirred” personality along with the charm and screen presence needed for the role. He also recalled that Daniel Craig was chosen as Bond after producers noticed his performance in Elizabeth (1998), directed by Shekhar himself.
Taking to the microblogging platform, Shekhar wrote, “As the search for the next Bond heats up, my vote for the next James Bond after Daniel Craig would be John Abraham. He has the cool ‘shaken not stirred’ persona and is certainly a good actor with the ‘Bond charm’. By the way, Daniel Craig was cast as James Bond after the producers saw him in my film Elizabeth.”
Reacting to the praise, John Abraham thanked the veteran filmmaker for his encouraging words.
“Thank you so much, Sir@shekharkapur Truly humbled by your words and encouragement. Coming from someone who not only redefined storytelling but also had the instinct to spot Daniel Craig before the world saw Bond in him… this means a lot to me. As for Bond… I’ll happily start practising my martini order immediately. Shaken, not stirred,” John replied.
The globally popular James Bond franchise, created by novelist Ian Fleming, has expanded into 27 films over the decades.
The first film in the series, Dr. No, starring Sean Connery, was directed by Terence Young in 1962. Since then, Eon Productions has produced 25 official Bond films, while two movies — Casino Royale and Never Say Never Again — were made outside the main franchise.
Over the years, several actors have portrayed the legendary spy, including Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.
Meanwhile, supporting Shekhar’s claim, John Abraham has carved a niche for himself in the action genre with films like Pathaan, Dhoom, and Force.
