Model Act with Arjun Rampal
Express Feature Services, Pulkit Vasudha
Actor and supermodel Arjun Rampal was in Ahmedabad for the launch a showroom on Wednesday. Here’s more about his forthcoming film Om Shanti Om and his wish to travel to Antarctica.
What makes Arjun Rampal behind the image of an actor?
Films from my profession, not passion. Apart from doing films, I love travelling and reading.
How much are you able to travel with your busy schedules?
My shooting schedules are quite arbitrary. I might be shooting for 90 days at a stretch and then have a fortnight off. I take time out to holiday with my family. I have to coincide my holidays with those of my kids. We went to Turkey this summer when my kids had a vacation. Since I love sailing, we hired a boat and went out into the Mediterranean Sea.
Which are the places you are planning to hit next?
We have been to Spain but it is such a beautiful country that we want to travel more extensively there. I like travelling to offbeat locales, Jerusalem and Russia. I am quite adventurous, so I wish to venture out to Antarctica sometime, even South Pole, if possible.
Where do you holiday in India?
Rajasthan and Goa. Photography is another of my passion. I own a Canon EOS 350D digital camera, and these spots make for some great photographs. I don’t holiday much in the country because the cameras follow everywhere, but I have great memories of driving through Punjab years ago.
Which adventure sports do you indulge in?
I have skydived but I do not have a license yet. I want to get one so that nobody has to jump after me when I dive from a plane. I also want to go deep sea diving to see the beautiful marine life.
What do you like reading?
I read both fiction and non-fiction. I loved reading Songs My Mother Taught Me, American actor Marlon Brando’s autobiography. Recently, I read Know the World which I enjoyed a lot. An all-time favourite is Kiran Nagarkar’s Cuckold.
So what are the next projects you are dabbling in?
Om Shanti Om. It is an SRK production in which Deepika Padukone and Shah Rukh are my co-stars. Then there is Rituparno Ghosh’s English film, The Last Lear, in which I play the role of a film director and Amitabh Bachchan portrays a senior actor. My co-stars also include Preity Zinta. The film has been selected for a world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, for which I will be there in early September. I think it’s a great honour since this festival is well-known for screening the best world cinema.
What about your own production house?
We have four films in the pipeline apart from a lot of interesting projects like event management, fashion shows and producing television serials.
Source: Indian Express