John Abraham confirms stepping into Aamir Khan's shoes
MID-DAY (August 4, 2018)

Days after mid-day had reported that John Abraham would replace Aamir Khan in the second instalment of Sarfarosh (1999), the actor confirmed to reporters that he, indeed, was working on John Matthew Matthan's venture.

Abraham promised that the action-drama would be distanced from the original. "John Mathew Matthan and I are co-producing the film. We are still working on the script, but, yes, it's happening with me. We plan to go on floors next year. He is probably the only director whose house I went to after seeing Sarfarosh and said, 'Man what a film'."

Sarfarosh, also featuring Naseeruddin Shah and Sonali Bendre, chronicled the story of an Indian police officer's quest to stop cross-border terrorism. It opened to critical acclaim and went on to win the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. When asked if he is apprehensive about stepping into Khan's shoes, Abraham said, "I'm, in fact, excited. I love Aamir Khan. It's a challenge, but it's a different character and different story, even though the ethos is the same. It's going to be very exciting."

The actor's line-up of films - beginning with Satyameva Jayate releasing on August 15 - includes Batla House, and RAW: Romeo Akbar Walter. "Batla House will be the most explosive film you've seen. It'll show how polarised the world is, and it's straight in its face. If [viewers] accept Batla House, it will be the most successful film," he says.

Directed by Nikkhil Advani, the film features Abraham as the cop who led the Batla House encounters, which occurred in September 2008 against Indian Mujahideen terrorists in Jamia Nagar, Delhi. "It's an honest film and Nikkhil is an honest director. We have got something so explosive in our hands and we will treat it with a lot of caution," the actor adds.

Abraham recently shot for the first schedule of RAW: Romeo Akbar Walter, directed by Robbie Grewal. The actor said there will be 18 different looks of his in the spy thriller and the shoot was "pretty intense."

He says his line-up of films resonates with what he wants to do as an actor-producer. "This is probably an inflection point in my career where I can say, at least in terms of the cinema that I'm getting out as a producer, as an actor, the next five years are probably [going to be] my best years," he signed off.