"Akshay's journey in the film industry has been very inspirational. He is a self-made man himself. He got into the industry in around 1985 and I got in around 2003, but our journey has been similar. Although he is a much more successful actor than I am and I respect him a lot," John said on the TV show "Yaar Mera Superstar".
He also said that he learned about the comedy genre from Akshay.
"We have done three movies together - 'Garam Masala', 'Housefull 2' and 'Desi Boyz'. I love comedy as a genre and whatever I have learned in comedy, it's from him. That is the reason I call him 'guruji' and he calls me 'sundi'," he added.
John is currently gearing up for his forthcoming film "Rocky Handsome", which will release on Friday.