"Akshay announced his next with me within 12 hours of therelease of 'Chandni Chowk To China'. I know many questioned his decision then," says the director.

Advani started with the success of Shah Rukh Khan starrer 'Kal Ho Na Ho' under Karan Johar's banner. The director then parted ways with Johar and went on to direct 'Salaam-E-Ishq', which received lukewarm response at the box office.

But his much-hyped 'Chandni Chowk To China', starring Akshay and Deepika Padukone, turned out to be a major disappointment at the box office and critics were ruthless in their opinion about the movie.

But with the good response to 'Patiala House', Advani says he now can afford a sound sleep.

"From the low that we saw in 'Chandni Chowk To China', this is one big high to have your work stand out as one of the best in someone's career," says the director.

Nikhil doesn't deny the fact that last few years were testing for him.

"Of course it isn't difficult to stay afloat when your last films haven't been received well.

The pressure is of course there and anxiety sets in as well. All that remains with you is an endeavour to make something really good that is accepted by one and all.

"Just like the central protagonist of 'Patiala House', Gattu (Akshay Kumar), I too got a second chance. When people trusted me to do the job well, I had to justify their confidence in me. I couldn't have afforded to err at all."

Unlike the major hype that 'Chandni Chowk...' saw, Advani says he kept the noise minimum on this movie.

"Sometimes you have to just lie low and let the product speak for itself. We didn't want to create much noise about the film though as we wanted it to be an underdog."