Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; August 11, 2019)

Trust John Abraham to leave no stone unturned in order to get into the skin of his character. His role of police officer Sanjay Kumar in Batla House, is inspired by DCP Sanjeev Kumar Yadav (then ACP, Special Cell, Delhi Police), who was involved in the controversial Batla House encounter of 2008. Both John and director Nikkhil Advani spent a considerable amount of time with the police officer to understand his body language and mannerisms.

It was during one such meeting that Nikkhil saw the Quran in the DCP’s library, and intrigued by it, he asked him about the same. Nikkhil shares, “Sanjeev read the Quran thoroughly to understand the guys he was having conversations with, as they would often quote verses from the holy book. It helped him to understand their beliefs during interrogations.”

John adds, “For this film, I have read the Quran and have learnt a few verses, too. When you are talking to a certain character, you need to understand what his thought process is.”

The actor continues, “You have to be well-read to have a point of view. I am aware of a lot of things, but I think some of us have a skewed view of everything. We interpret things the way we want to, and as per our convenience.”