Arjun Rampal is an Indian actor and model who works in the Hindi film industry. He is popular due to his versatility, good looks, and strong performances in Bollywood. He has played many characters on the screen, including one of the iconic villains in Bollywood Om, Shanti Om. He was also an antagonist in Ra One. The actor was slated to share the screen with Aamir Khan in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Rang de Basanti. However, things did not work out eventually, and he stepped out of the film. Rampal once shared the reasons in an episode of Karan Johar’s talk show, Koffee with Karan. Keep scrolling for the deets.
For the unversed, Arjun started as a top model in the late 90s before transitioning to films. His great looks and towering personality made him a heartthrob. His talent, good looks, and charisma keep him relevant in the industry. His journey includes struggles, breakthrough performances, and reinventions. His breakthrough films were Don, Om Shanti Om, Rock On, and more. He moved away from romantic roles to experiment with intense, dark characters, which worked for him.
Meanwhile, Aamir Khan’s Rang De Basanti was a critical and commercial success. It became a cult classic and one of the most impactful Bollywood films of all time. Arjun Rampal was reportedly roped in for the role of Karan Singhania, which Siddharth ultimately played. In 2005, Rampal appeared in Karan Johar’s Koffee With Karan, where he shared his reasons for leaving Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s film.
He said, “I had a problem with the director. I was signed for the film, I had a new look and blocked my dates. It just became very confusing because the director was very confused. I’m happy it didn’t work out in a way, because Rakeysh was very confused about the script, he was very erratic, some days he would be like ‘This is the way I want to do it’… and ‘You’re my character, oh are you my character?’ When someone is this confused, it’s best to say, ‘I can’t work with you, and good luck.’” Arjun was dedicated to this project and his dates block for the movie.
When KJo asked him to address that, he said, “I think it is very unprofessional to do that to an actor. Yes, there was good amount of work coming to me and good work—and so people who were meant to be coming to me, didn’t come. I have lost out on work, it’s okay, everything happens for the best. I’m not holding anything against anyone.”
Arjun Rampal indicated that he did not hold anything against Aamir Khan as he continued, “I had heard rumours that Aamir Khan does take a keen interest in his films, and I would have loved to work with him. But to full respect to him, he did have a lot of fears that he put on the table and I hope all those fears are sorted now and can make the film that he wants.”
Arjun Rampal got his due in the later years and is loved by the Indian audience. From struggles to stardom, reinvention to survival, his journey is a testament to persistence and adaptability in Bollywood.
On the professional front, he was last seen in Crakk and has a bag full of projects in the upcoming days.
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