Films focusing on the golden moments of India's defence history are currently in vogue but John Abraham, whose "RAW (Romeo Akbar Walter)" is set against the backdrop of 1971 war with Pakistan, says following a certain trend to make money is a big no-no for him.
The 46-year-old model-turned-actor has been a part of true-life-inspired defence stories like "Madras Cafe", "Parmanu..." and now "RAW". John says he has always found facts to be more interesting than fiction.
"I feel even if you don't dramatise things at times, facts make the story very entertaining. They are more interesting than fiction," he said in an interview over phone from London.
Citing the example of "Vicky Donor" and "Madras Cafe", John said these films set the path for stories such as "Shubh Mangal Saavdhan", "Badhaai Ho" and "Uri: The Surgical Strike".
"I never look at a trend because the minute one looks at the trend and starts following it and it goes out of fashion, they are in trouble. So, I make what I believe in. Everything is cyclical. There is a phase when South Indian remakes are in trend, and sometimes comedies, realistic films or films on the country work well. "As far as I am concerned, the idea is not to be opportunistic with a certain trend, but to do what you believe in. I believe in the country, I believe in the way the country functions," he added.
"RAW", directed by Robbie Grewal, is based on true incidents and show how India's intelligence agencies, especially RAW, played a crucial part in the conflict.
"One needs to be very responsible when you are making a film which is predominantly factual, is on the country and involves the armed forces. And one has to research well.
"It is important to make films entertaining and commercially viable. I am not making a film to educate people on 1971 War. I am making a film that speaks about human relationships. I want to move people emotionally in some way or the other and I want to make an edge-of-the-seat thriller," he added.