The Akshay Kumar-John Abraham starrer Desi Boyz has all the right attention coming its way, but it wasn’t always so. In fact, both actors were initially apprehensive about acting in the film, and weren’t convinced about director Rohit Shetty’s vision at all.

“The problem was the word ‘desi’ in the title. In the online sphere, it pretty much equates to porn. Considering that Akshay and John are shown having a ‘night job’ where they are ‘at the service’ of ladies, they were concerned about the kind of film it could be,” says a source.

While Akshay, who’s aware of Rohit’s sensibilities, gave the latter the go ahead to use the title, John wasn’t convinced. Especially so because he has been known mainly for his body beautiful, and has found himself quite a reputation after acting in films like Jism, Paap and Dostana.

“Yes, I wasn’t sure about the film initially,” admits John. “But Rohit wanted the Indian-ness among NRIs to come out, and he felt ‘desi’ was the best word for the job. Being Indian is cool today, and being desi is even cooler.”