Rampal feels the Heat

By: Upala KBR, Mid-Day

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Arjun Rampal was looking forward to the Heat tour, which also features stars like Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Sushmita Sen, Preity Zinta, and Celina Jaitly.

But because of a technical problem, Arjun's visa didn't arrive and he was left twiddling his thumbs in the Mumbai summer. We chatted with the actor on his trip that wasn't...

Bummer! You must be disappointed?
Yes, I am very disappointed because I rehearsed for a lot of hours and I was really looking forward to performance for my audience and fans.

What went wrong?

It was all because of a technical default. My visa didn't arrive on time. I apologise to my fans because I heard they had come to meet me, and left disappointed. I promise them I will come very soon and perform for them.

Where were you due to perform?
New York, New Jersey, London and Birmingham.

When did you learn about the visa problem?
I was to leave on April 11 and was told about the visa problem on April 10.

Could the problem have been avoided?
It was nobody's fault, because the promoters tried till the very end to try and make things work, but they just couldn't.

Why haven't we seen you modelling?
I will not go back to being a model again. There's a difference between modelling and being a brand ambassador. Though I am not going to model any more, I don't mind being a brand ambassador for a product.

What will you do with your free time now?
I am going to be home, spending time with my family and getting ready to leave for Don's shooting in Kuala Lumpur.