NEARLY a decade after making his debut in Bollywood, former model and National Award winner Arjun Rampal still has his share of critics who think models can’t act.
Rampal, who stars in Prakash Jha’s film Raajneeti, said he chooses to ignore people who insist on stereotyping him.
“I have been serious as an actor ever since my first film and after films like Om Shanti Om, Rock On and The Last Lear, I think I made the leap but I don’t know why people have pre-conceived notions and are judgmental,” the 37-year-old actor said.
Rampal, one of India’s most successful ramp models before switching careers in 2001, didn’t have a very promising start in Bollywood.
It was only in 2007 that Rampal’s role as the villain in Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om made people take notice. The following year, he turned in a National Award winning performance for Rock On.
His portrayal of a suave, ambitious politician in Raajneeti has also drawn accolades this month and Rampal reveals his criteria for choosing a film hasn’t changed.
“Even when I signed my earlier films, my only thought is would I go and watch this movie first day first show, even if I wasn’t in it.”
“And only if the answer is yes, do I sign up for it.”
Rampal has just wrapped up shooting for Mani Ratnam’s Raavan and the Indian remake of the Hollywood film Stepmom.
