Arjun Rampal

By Pradeep Kashyap

Not so long ago he was the "God" of the ramp, but today people recognize him as the Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat man. His first film might have flopped but doesn't seem to dampen this "God's" spirits

Did you always wanted to be an actor?
No, it just happened, when I was a model, Ashok Mehta offered me to play the lead role in Moksha . At that point of time, I was not ready for it, but after a point of time I agreed. It was Ashok Mehta's faith in me, which made me to plunge into acting.

Your last film, Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat  could not do well on the Box-office?
At this moment I would not like to give you the reasons behind it. I would not in any way to defend the film, I would say that people didn't like it. There can be lots of reasons behind it. But this project will always be close to me as it was my first release. We really worked very hard but it could not do well. Any way, I find myself lucky to be a part of Rajiv Rai's project, who is the master of entertainment. I learnt a lot during the making of the film.

But you were appreciated in the film?
(smiles) The credit goes to Rajiv Rai. He extracted the best from me. I am glad that people liked my work.

Despite the fact that Moksha  was your first film, it will be your third release?
Yeah I am aware of it. I feel very sad as we really worked very hard on this project but due to some reason, the film is yet to be released. I personally feel that in this world everything has been planned. But today I am very happy as Moksha  will be released on November 30 all over.

This long wait would have been very frustrating for you?
You are right. But I got to learn so much during this period. I studied a lot about the film and even watched lots of movies. At the end of the day, everything has been worked out very well and I am very happy about it.

Tell us something about your latest venture Deewaanapan ?
The basic plot of the film is very interesting and I liked it very much. This film is full of emotion and is all about human-relationships. It is all about the hero and heroine and their relation with their respective families.

How was it working with Vinod Khanna?
It was great. I knew him personally as his son is my friend. So everything was cool. But at the first day of shoot with him, I was little nervous but he went out of his way to make me feel comfortable.

Tell us something about your next project, Moksha ?
Moksha  is a passionate film. It is also a commercially viable film and is a Psychological thriller based around love story. At the end, I must tell you that the film is definitely something different.

You are also doing one film with Amitabh Bachchan?
I am doing Vipul Shah's Aankhen . Mr. Bachchan is like an institution and I learnt a lot during the making of the film. He never made me feel new in front of him.

Tell us something about Aankhen ?
It is a thriller and apart from me and Mr. Bachchan, the film also stars Akshay Kumar, Sushmita Sen and Paresh Rawal. I would not like to reveal much about the film at this moment.

Why is it that nowadays you are seen much on the ramp?
I believe in doing one thing at a time and give my best to it. Today I am into acting and I want to give my best to it.

What about endorsement?
I have been getting offers but I haven't decided yet. Let's see (smiles).

How do you rate the competition?
Competition is there in each and every field, why only film industry. Each and every artiste is best in his/her own. One should not feel insecure about anything, as there is lots of work here.

Lastly, what next?
I am waiting for my next two releases, Deewaanapaan  and Moksha .