“Even I had my own shortcomings” -Arjun Rampal

By Joginder Tuteja

He played a lawyer in his very first film, ‘Moksha’ (2001). Now eight years later, he returns as an advocate in ‘Fox’. Arjun Rampal has seen a definite momentum in his career during last couple of years with commercial successes like ‘Rock On’ and ‘Om Shanti Om’.

Meanwhile, he has made a definite progress in his career by working on his weaknesses, listening to all the advise coming his way, sorting out what’s valid and what is not and adapting to the situation. Result? He is a much-refined actor now with major roles in numerous top bracket films like Prakash Jha’s ‘Rajneeti’, Karan Johar’s ‘Stepmom’ and Sajid Khan’s ‘Housefull’.

On the release of ‘Fox’, Arjun Rampal talks about the roller coaster ride that he has been a part of in his professional career.

"After the success of ‘Rock On’ and ‘Om Shanti Om’, I have to be much more careful in my career decisions", says Arjun, "After all, one can’t jump into any film that comes his way even though it may seem like an enticing offer. You have to take every step quite carefully."

He understands that level of experience does count at the end of the day.

"What I have learnt is that one can never replace the level of experience. It could be your own experience or that of the setup you are a part of. Yes, it is great to give newcomers a chance; after all there were people who gave me a chance too. Also, these newcomers need to be backed by other experienced people. It has to be a mutually acceptable situation where you as well as the people that you work with are receptive of each other’s thoughts and opinions."

He emphasizes on the fact that making a film is not about one person but involves teamwork.

"It may sound like an often repeated statement, but after working in films like ‘Om Shanti Om’, ‘Rock On’ and now ‘Housefull’, I have realized that how important it is to have a strong support system. Without that, a film can just tend to completely drift away. Any one individual strays and the entire intent behind making the film is lost", says Arjun who has been seen in quite a few multi-starrers off late.

He agrees that every actor or technicians comes with shortcomings and he too suffered from a few during his earlier years.

"Yes, I had my own shortcomings but the good part is that I realized this fact and worked towards them", he confesses, "You should actually thank an individual who makes you aware about places where you are erring. The faults pointed out by him may, or may not be the most relevant all the time, but the least you should do is listen to him and acknowledge his effort. Only when you start working on your flaws consciously would you become a much better professional and a human being."

-Sampurn Media