Bollywood actor John Abraham, who plays gangster Manya Surve in ‘Shootout at Wadala’, said that playing Manya Surve was tough as he did not have enough reference points for the real-life inspired character.

“Manya Surve is no more. It was the first case of an encounter in Mumbai. It's a very interesting character. He was a normal Maharashtrian boy, who wanted to be an engineer but somehow got into the thick blanket of underworld. We had few photographs of Manya Surve for our reference and took help from a veteran journalist. Sanjay Gupta (director) researched a lot," John Abraham told PTI.

John Abraham feels that he has grown as an actor as he isn’t stuck in a particular genre as he is playing varied roles.

“As an actor, I have seen growth. I am not stuck in a particular genre. Be it 'Race 2', 'I, Me Aur Main' or 'Shootout at Wadala', I am playing three different characters at the same time,” he said.

In Shoojit Sircar's upcoming political thriller 'Madras Cafe' John Abraham portrays an army officer.

“‘Madras Cafe' is a massive film and is being shot in eight different locations right from London, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Colombo to Kochi and Delhi. I am playing an Army officer in the film,” he concluded.

‘Madras Café’ stars John plays an army officer, who later joins the intelligence agency RAW. The film also stars Nargis Fakhri.

The movie is slated to release in August.