‘I always knew I could act’

Actor Arjun Rampal talks about completing ten years in Bollywood and gaining acceptance... and some awards along the way.

Om Shanti Om was a turning point in actor Arjun Rampal’s decade-old career in Bollywood but the actor, who delivered many flops in the interim, says he never lost faith in his skills as an actor.

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Rampal went on to bag a national award for his role of a guitarist in Rock On and will next be seen playing Shah Rukh Khan’s arch-enemy in superhero flick, Ra.One. The 38-year-old says each failure has taught him something new. “I am more confident as an actor now. It’s nice to have made it to this stage. I have a bright future ahead,” Rampal said.

The actor, however, is happy that despite collecting flops, he never lost hope. "I can act, that’s all I kept telling myself. I was confident that I

could do it. The movies I did were a phase of discovery for me and finally I have found my road. There were people who said that I could not but I don’t live for them," Rampal added.

On being asked whether people’s outlook has changed after his success, Rampal joked, “Actors are now definitely scared to work with me.” On a serious note he said, “People, who have always stood beside me, are proud of me.”

The actor was in the city to support ‘India’s helping hand to Japan’, an initiative by Gurgaon Connections and Kingdom of Dreams to raise funds for the earthquake and tsunami victims. “These are the times which bring out humanity and the urge to help, irrespective of religion or class,” he said. Rampal will next be seen in RaOne, followed by David Dhawan’s Rascal, Sudhir Mishra’s untitled project and a war movie.