MUMBAI - John Abraham has become the first Indian actor ever to feature in his own calendar. Zee Music, in association with Subi Samuel, ace still photographer, launched the calendar first with a press meet and then with an exclusive party at Seijo and the Soul Dish Dec. 11.

The calendar is completely in black-and-white and has a very exotic look because of the Goa backdrop. In attendance at the party were Karan Johar, Kajol (looking as stunning as in "Fanaa"), Arshad Warsi, Daboo Ratnani, Diya Mirza, Chunkey Pandey, Alisha Chinai, Gul Panag, Nikhil Advani, Anurag Kashyap, Madhur Bhandarkar, Mahesh Manjrekar, Vivek Agnihotri, Abhay Deol, Tulip Joshi, and obviously Bipasha Basu with her family. The party went on till the wee hours of the morning.

TV celebrities Mini Mathur, Shraddha Nigam, Divya Datta, Sudhanshu Pandeyand the Roy brothers Rohit and Ronit walked the red carpet along with models like Maushmi Udeshi, Shruti Sharma, Aparna Kumar, Nina Manuel and Bikram Saluja.

The channel described the calendar to be full of the five "S"s - Sun, Sand, Sea, Skin and loads of Sex-Appeal. A thrilled John Abraham stated, "I am very excited to be part of this initiative. We had a blast shooting the calendar. Subi has done a terrific job."

Speaking about the making of the calendar, ace photographer Subi Samuel says, "The look of this calendar is highly stylized. John is the quintessential youth icon. He's a unique amalgamation of great looks, a chiseled physique and a child-like quality that makes him the perfect subject for this calendar."

Irshwin Balwani, business head, Zee Music, said, "Zee Muzic stands for all that symbolizes youth and John Abraham is the hottest youth icon today. The visuals are an embodiment of what John is about - natural, rugged, adventurous and exciting. We are optimistic that our viewers and John's fans would love this visual treat."

Sita Narayan Swamy, Zee Network's marketing head, says, "John is unique. He is cool. He always stands for something and makes a statement. The same is true of Zee Muzic."

Happily in the satellite channels and photographer's blitz, the PR people ensured that John spoke for a while exclusively with the few print media representatives present.

Excerpts from an interview with India-West:

Q: What was your immediate reaction when Zee Music approached you with this concept?

A: I wondered, "Will the audience tolerate me for 12 months? Is it a good idea?" But Subi and Zee Music said it was.

Q: Were you in the concepts team behind these stills?

A: I was. The photograph of my lying on the bed with a sheet on me was my idea and ranks as one of my favorites. We shot 120 frames and I was part of the team that whittled them down to 12!

But the calendar is not just about concepts. A lot of the photographs were completely candid. We would be walking, for example, on the beach and Subi would say, "Just turn your head" and he would shoot. It was over in precisely two seconds! At other places he would suddenly tell me, "Let's shoot!" without any pre-planning. There was one that involved rock-climbing and I even hurt myself a bit. At another point of time I was standing at a place where there was an 80-feet drop just inches away.

Q: The John Abraham Calendar 2007 has five S's according to Zee Music but the two important 'B's in your life - Bipasha Basu and bikes - are missing.

A: Yes, but two B's - body and baal (hair) are present in abundance! (Grins widely). The concept was that it was a calendar about me, so they wanted me and my body and no one else and no props.

Q: The big questions - why black-and-white, and why Goa?

A: I personally like black-and-white - I think that it has more character and is so much more beautiful. I like its simplicity and somewhere there is an in-built nostalgia for me. Like old films and pictures of my childhood from albums.

Goa is "very body" if you know what I mean, it is associated with sun and tan. We wanted a natural rather than a groomed look - my looks and backdrops are a mess!

Q: Did you happen to have any personal experience with black-and-white cameras?

A: Well, my first ad campaign was in black-and-white - I was the first Farex (a baby's dietary supplement) model as a child. I understand a few things like aperture speed, but basically I am comfortable on this side of the camera, thanks. (Grins again).

Q: Do any of the pictures have any significance?

A: Yes, there is some thought behind the photographs' positioning, month-wise. In January, I have this open arms pose because we are welcoming the New Year. The couch on which I am lying - my personal favorite - signifies closure - or December. It is also very "me" for 17th December is my birth-date.

Q: It's been a great birthday month for you.

A: Yeah, I am lucky. My "Kabul Express" is releasing on 15th and the clothesline named after me takes off 18th. I have "Salaam-E-Ishq" coming early in the New Year. I am working again with Mira Nair in her next film after "Water," and in Nagesh Kukunoor's "Goal." I have also started work on "No Smoking" for which ironically I re-started smoking, a habit that I had kicked. I hope I will be able to kick it after the shoot is over. I found the script mind-blowing and thought that I had to do the film.