I like to be an underdog: John Abraham

Bollywood actor John Abraham has carved a niche for himself in the industry yet the 'Madras Cafe' star feels he is an underdog.

"I have always been an underdog. I like being that way. I like playing that role. I have always been influenced by films like that (of underdogs). We root for them. I know my audience will root for me," John told reporters here at the trailer launch of "Rocky Handsome".

"After my first film, I was told I need to go back but I have been here for 13 years or so, and it is because of audience. I will always struggle," he said.

John sees Sylvester Stallone as his idol and was disappointed when the Hollywood legend did not win awards at the Oscars this year for "Creed".

"I was in Abu Dhabi. I did not follow Oscars. When you like somebody you expect them to win. He is like an underdog. John Abraham is an underdog," he added.

The film "Rocky Handsome" has some hardcore action sequences and the "Welcome Back" actor has worked very hard on it.

"I did prepare for the action part. I got hurt as well. Our director Nishikant Kamat wanted the action to be of some calibre and we have achieved that. It's real action. It is not Kung Fu, Karate. It is real. We wanted to stick to realism."

The 43-year-old actor feels India doesn't have real good action heroes.

"I think our country is missing real action heroes. Internationally, we have Sylvester Stallone, The Rock...these are big action heroes," he said.

"It is not just about action but attitude as well. We have tried to maintain good balance between action, attitude and body," he added.

John thinks action films needs to be backed by strong emotions to connect with the audience.

"Any amount of action doesn't make sense if not backed by strong emotions. Our film has good balance of it. When villian of the film is strong by his mind it is more dangerous than anything else," he adds.

This is the second time Nishikant and John have come together for a film. Their first film "Force" was a huge hit.

"He (Nishikant) is amazing. We look at each other and understand. It's a special relationship. I an big fan of his films "Dombivali Fast", "Mumbai Meri Jaan", "Lai Bhaari", "Force", "Drishyam" and others. I love his films," he said.

"He is a fantastic director. He is the strongest director in getting emotions right in the film," he added.