The first thing John Abraham notices are my colourful sneakers. Over the years, we've bonded on our collective love for shoes, as much as movies. There's something to admire about Abraham's repertoire, an example of how a gorgeous hunk of a man, most talked about for his looks has managed to evolve himself into a credible actor. "For the longest time in my career, I was called wooden," he admits but that never deterred him from exploring new ground till he found his beat. As his recent outing, Batla House, opened to steady numbers and much critical acclaim, John and I settle for a chat in his office about his newfound affinity for the patriotic brand of cinema, his trysts with the effort to be taken seriously and the way forward for his production house.

Edited excerpts from the interview.