John Abraham's act as DCP Sanjeev Kumar Yadav in Nikkhil Advani's Batla House has been appreciated by one and all and the film has raced ahead of Rs 75 crore mark at the box office. In a recent interview, John was asked if there's a sense of validation in the fact that he managed to stir debate with Batla House, he told a leading daily, "From day one, Nikkhil [Advani, director] told me that it's not only about an encounter, but we are narrating the story of a man and his experiences post that encounter. We wanted to make it a human story which I am glad has been appreciated by the audience."
Undoubtedly, John has over time evolved himself into a credible actor and his newfound affinity for the patriotic brand of cinema is not unknown. When asked how feels on being taken seriously as an actor, he quipped, "For the longest time in my career, I was called furniture or people would comment that models cannot act while talking about me, but those people have now either left the industry or are on the fringes. I always had to prove myself at every point," adding that "there are several who woke up from their graves and called me after watching Batla House to say, 'This is a new actor we are watching. You have new energy'."
Last but not the least, John pointed out that he does not pay heed to detractors and can't be part of the crowd. "When the chips were down, the only person who convinced me was myself. I don't know how to follow people or belong to a camp. Hence, I do my kind of films and create my own content," adding, "Karan [Johar] is one of my closest friends. I don't go to his parties but we are still friends."
(Source: Mid-Day)