Rock On is a path breaking film- Arjun Rampal
The moment he is done, he comes out and angrily questions me, "Where the hell are you man? You've come to meet on your last day in Mumbai?" So to make my day special he plays the perfect host. He grabs his guitar and starts the best ever unplugged session in his room. But the worst was still to come. He wanted me to play with him too and willingly agreed to give me some exclusive tips on how to play the instrument. We had a ball. Then enters his wife Meher Jessia Rampal. A long chat for almost an hour over a masala chai made it even more special. It was 8.30pm. Arjun had to attend the Rohit Bal's Fashion show at the ITC, Lower Parel. He tells me, "Come with me to the fashion show. It's your last day in town. Let me make your day extra special". We reach and go backstage where he meets his friends from the modelling world. The show gets started, Karan Johar walks the ramp with Rohit Bal. A standing ovation and we depart. Indeed, Arjun is a star but on Friday night, he made me feel like one. Presenting you, Rampal as never heard before in an exclusive interview with us.
Hows
life
post
Rock
On?
Heard
your
fans
are
soon
becoming
your
followers?
I
am
really
glad
that
I
could
give
them
that
because
they've
been
extremely
supportive.
So
I
feel
really
happy
and
my
family
too.
My
fans
feel
the
same
way
too.
I
know
the
kind
of
mails
I
used
to
get.
I
know
the
kind
of
support
I've
got
from
them.
So
you
feel
like
you
haven't
let
somebody
down.
They
feel
proud
of
the
fact
that
I
took
time
to
choose
the
kind
of
work
I
wanted
to
do.
As
an
actor
you
can
walk
out
of
a
film
feeling
satisfied
but
that
film
may
not
necessarily
satisfy
the
audiences.
But
when
the
film
does
satisfy
the
audiences,
then
you
know
that
all
your
efforts
and
energy
you
put
in
has
paid
off.
You
don't
make
a
film
to
watch
it
for
yourself
or
to
watch
it
on
a
DVD
at
home,
you
want
people
to
come
to
the
cinemas
and
enjoy
the
experience.
So
yeah,
everything
feels
just
great.
Do
you
see
Rock
On
re-release
after
a
decade
just
like
in
the
past,
films
like
Sholay
and
DDLJ
have
re-released?
I
definitely
think
so.
It
can
happen.
Rock
On
is
a
path
breaking
film
and
why
I
say
that
even
though
it
sounds
pompous
is
because
a
lot
of
people
thought
a
film
like
Rock
On
won't
work,
especially
the
seasoned
people
within
the
industry.
They
called
me
and
asked
me
what
kind
of
a
film
was
Rock
On
where
we
all
were
looking
like
some
rock
band
members.
I
laughed
and
said
that
was
the
whole
idea
(laughs
out
loud).
They
said,
'Aaj
kal
kaun
dekhta
hai
aisi
picture.
Yeh
film
kaam
nahin
karengi
aur
ise
opening
bhi
nahin
milengi'.
When
the
film
has
had
an
amazing
opening,
the
same
people
tell
me
that
it's
a
metro
centric
film
which
means
that
it
will
only
work
in
the
main
centres.
But
the
film
performed
even
in
the
interiors
and
small
towns
and
cities
of
India.
That's
when
you
realise
that
your
audience
has
changed.
They
don't
want
to
leave
their
brain
at
home.
On
that
level
I
think
Rock
On
should
re-release
after
a
few
years.
Can
I
now
say
that
Rock
On
is
a
bigger
success
than
Om
Shanti
Om?
No,
I
wouldn't
say
that.
I
think
in
terms
of
a
box
office
success,
Om
Shanti
Om
is
a
much
bigger
film
today.
But
Rock
On
is
a
success
in
its
own
way.
It's
not
right
to
compare
two
genres
and
types
of
films.
It's
wonderful
to
say
that
you
were
in
both
the
films
(laughs)
and
both
the
films
were
super
successful.
Om
Shanti
Om
is
the
biggest
film
ever
in
terms
of
magnitude
till
date
and
to
what
it
created
at
the
box
office.
Moustache
has
now
become
quite
synonymous
with
your
success.
What
say?
(laughs)
Please
don't
say
this
because
I
don't
want
to
be
stuck
with
moustaches
in
all
my
films.
A
rather
surprised
Farhan
Akhtar
tells
me
that
Rock
On
performed
the
worst
in
the
U.K.
Do
you
think
it
lacked
the
star
power?
I
am
a
huge
star
in
the
U.K
(laughs)
and
my
U.K
fan
base
are
really
huge
and
if
it
was
based
on
that
then
I
think
people
would've
come
in.
I
was
very
surprised
to
see
that
Rock
On
did
not
perform
well
in
the
U.K
even
after
I
did
loads
of
interviews.
But
then
I
realised
that
there
weren't
a
lot
of
theatres
in
the
U.K
playing
the
film.
So
I
called
the
Big
Pictures,
a
Reliance
company
and
asked
them
where
exactly
was
Rock
On
being
screened.
To
my
shock,
the
film
wasn't
released
in
parts
of
Birmingham
and
Leicester
where
a
huge
Asian
population
thrives.
As
a
distributor,
you
can't
do
that.
That
was
a
big
draw
back.
But
I'm
very
confident
that
everybody
in
the
U.K
will
see
Rock
On
once
it
comes
out
on
the
DVD
for
sure.
It
makes
sense
if
Rock
On
continues
from
where
it
ended.
I
mean,
why
isn't
a
sequel
on
the
cards?
It
was
Abhishek
Kapoor's
dream
to
make
Rock
On.
It
really
did
come
from
his
personal
experiences
and
friendships.
It
was
a
very
honest
and
a
sincere
approach
to
the
film.
If
he
can
do
that
again
to
make
a
remake
then
he
should.
But
if
he
can't,
we
should
just
leave
Rock
On
where
it
is.
If
the
driving
force
is
not
there,
you
can't
make
any
film,
forget
the
sequel.
He
will
have
to
showcase
the
same
innocence
in
his
protagonists,
the
innocence
in
terms
of
dialogues
and
the
relationships
shown
in
the
film,
etc
and
to
recreate
that,
it'll
be
very
very
difficult.
What
Rock
On
gave
to
some
people
was
a
lot
of
hope
and
nostalgia.
Like
for
example,
a
lot
of
people
who
are
working
today
wanted
to
meet
up
with
their
college
friends
after
watching
the
film,
a
lot
of
bands
reunited.
A
lot
of
musicians
thanked
me
for
giving
them
hope.
It
is
that
extra
special
magic
what
Rock
On
created.
Now
if
you
can't
create
that
magic,
a
sequel
can't
be
made.
Just
like
a
remake
of
Sholay
can't
be
made
and
we
all
know
what
eventually
happened
(laughs).
From
your
rocking
persona,
there
was
also
your
soft
side
seen
when
you
almost
started
crying
after
Mr
Amitabh
Bachchan's
comment.
You're
right.
He
is
my
ultimate
hero
and
all
heroes
worshipped
him
while
growing
up.
We
still
do
so
when
we
work
with
him
because
his
energy
is
just
unbelievable.
So
when
he
stood
there
and
put
his
arms
around
me
in
front
of
15,000
people
and
said,
'I'm
so
proud
of
Arjun
Rampal',
my
eyes
went
moist.
I
think
anybody
would
get
moist
eyed.
Your
time
is
right
Arjun.
Producers
and
directors
are
now
chasing
you.
But
let's
talk
about
you
'Chasing
Ganesha',
your
production
house.
How's
that
shaping
up?
It's
not
about
the
right
or
the
wrong
time.
I
never
do
things
according
to
the
timing.
You
do
things
with
conviction.
You
do
things
what
you
believe
in.
We
have
been
working
on
a
script
which
is
an
action
packed
story.
We
are
trying
to
get
the
right
director
on
board
to
direct
our
film
because
it
is
something
new
and
novel.
It's
an
entertaining
film
which
the
audiences
will
enjoy.
The
first
draft
of
the
script
was
ready
even
before
Rock
On
was
released.
Yes,
we
are
seriously
getting
into
production
and
will
at
least
produce
one
if
not
two
films
a
year
through
our
production
house
and
that
is
our
goal.
We
may
also
do
things
on
television,
may
be
do
things
related
to
fashion
and
promoting
talent.
So
there
are
lots
of
things
I
want
to
do
which
are
based
around
the
entertainment
industry
and
that's
what
Chasing
Ganesha
Entertainment
stands
for.
What's
happening
with
your
restaurant
'LAP'?
LAP
which
is
called
Lounge
and
Party,
will
open
up
in
December
in
Delhi.
That's
something
I
really
wanted
to
do.
I
was
in
Goa
on
a
flight
and
I
met
A.D.Singh
who
owns
all
the
Olive
Bars
and
Restaurants
throughout
India.
So
we
got
talking
and
chatting
and
finally
zeroed
down
on
opening
LAP
together
in
partnership.
As
I
don't
understand
the
business
side
of
things,
he
will
be
looking
after
it
and
I'll
take
care
of
the
entertainment
side
of
things
which
I
understand
well.
What
next
after
Rock
On?
Well,
now
EMI
is
going
to
release
because
I've
done
enough
heavy
roles
and
I
wanted
to
do
something
light
and
refreshing.
I
was
missing
the
song
and
dance
so
I
wanted
to
get
back
into
it.
That's
why
EMI.
It's
a
fun
film.
I
play
a
DJ
in
the
film,
a
guy
who
misuses
the
credit
card
completely.
A
bit
of
a
conman
and
then
he
meets
Sanjay
Dutt,
a
recovery
agent.
My
next
after
EMI
is
a
thriller
called
Fox.
It's
a
really
interesting
thriller
with
Sunny
Deol.
We've
almost
finished
shooting
it.
Then
I
am
doing
another
heavy
duty
kind
of
a
role
in
a
film
called
Rajniti
directed
by
Prakash
Jha.
The
whole
backdrop
is
very
political
just
like
the
name
suggests.
I
play
a
politician
in
it.
I
am
very
excited
about
Rajniti
because
it's
got
tremendous
amount
of
talent
in
it.
There's
Ranbir
Kapoor,
Nana
Patekar,
Ajay
Devgan
and
Manoj
Bajpai.
So
it's
going
to
be
a
very
powerful,
hard
hitting,
realistic
film.
Then
I
do
this
film
called
Kunal
which
is
a
period
film
produced
by
AB
Corp.
What
suggestion
would
you
like
to
give
the
male
models
who
want
to
join
Bollywood
soon?
I've
always
believed
that
it
is
more
difficult
to
come
into
an
industry
where
you're
already
known
and
have
been
seen.
When
I
got
into
films,
I
stopped
modelling
completely.
That
was
in
1996
end.
So
from
1996
to
2002,
I
never
did
any
modelling
because
my
film
took
five
years
to
be
made.
People
had
completely
forgotten
what
I
looked
like,
there
was
a
nostalgia
and
a
memory
in
terms
of
a
name.
What
people
do
in
today's
time
is
not
correct.
They
use
modelling
to
be
a
stepping
stone
towards
films.
I
always
tell
youngsters
that
if
they
wanted
to
join
films,
why
did
they
choose
modelling
then,
why
can't
they
just
go
train
as
an
actor.
When
I
was
modelling,
I
only
came
in
as
a
model
because
I
enjoyed
it
and
wanted
to
contribute
to
the
fashion
industry
which
was
growing
and
booming
at
that
point
in
time.
That's
how
people
remember
us.
I
got
bored
of
it
in
two
and
a
half,
three
years.
I
started
professional
modelling
in
1994
and
ended
in
1996.
That's
it.
But
people
still
remember
you
because
you
were
honest
with
your
work.
So
don't
mix
the
two
up.
Choose
one
profession
and
do
it.
If
you
really
want
to
act,
come
and
do
acting
and
if
you're
good,
you'll
get
a
chance.
Then
it's
what
you
do
with
it
that
counts.
Right
now
all
the
male
models
are
confused.
You're
one
of
those
very
few
actors
who
haven't
quite
his
profession
inspite
of
many
flops.
Because
I
believed
in
myself
and
I've
always
been
honest
to
my
work.
I
didn't
work
for
other
people
but
myself.
The
day
I
worked
to
prove
myself
to
other
people
I
was
unhappy
because
how
many
people
can
you
eventually
please.
The
day
you
work
from
your
heart,
you'll
know
you're
not
a
flop.
Any
parting
message
for
your
fans?
I
am
very
disappointed
that
my
U.K
fans
haven't
seen
Rock
On
and
it
shows
from
the
figures
we've
got
from
the
box
office.
So
make
sure
you
buy
the
music
CD
and
a
DVD
of
Rock
On
and
please
don't
download
it.