Happy birthday Arjun Rampal: 5 unforgettable performances of 'Dhaakad' star
What's the story
Arjun Rampal made his debut in 2001 with Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat and went on to star in many high-budget ensembles. The model-turned-actor is known for his good looks and charm on screen. Over the years, he has donned different characters and played each of them with sheer conviction. On his 50th birthday, we look back at his five unforgettable characters. Here's our list.
#1
'Rock On!!' (2008) & 'Rock On 2' (2016)
The first part was generation-defining and its music is still fresh in our ears. Shankar-Ehsan-Loy's music with Javed Akhtar's lyrics made all of us fall in love with Magik. Rampal won both the National Award and Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Joe Mascarenhas. The sequel got hit by demonetization but had a beautiful character arc and refreshing experimental music.
#2
'Om Shanti Om' (2007)
The Farah Khan-directed reincarnation drama has become a cult classic with time. The world saw Deepika Padukone for the first time in Hindi cinema and it's been our dream to have an Ajab Si moment since then. Rampal's portrayal of villainous Mukesh Mehra aka Mike added an extra edge to the film. The cold-hearted villain made us forget all his previous romantic roles.
#3
'Raajneeti' (2010)
Prakash Jha's political thriller is based on the Hindu epic Mahabharata and loosely based on Godfather. It grabbed many eyeballs during its release. Many prompted the film to have certain shades of the Nehru-Gandhi family which were dismissed by the makers. Rampal played the character of Prithviraj Pratap who had shades of Sonny Corleone too and viewers were in awe of his performance.
#4
'Ra.One' (2011)
Anubhav Sinha directed a superhero movie starring Shah Rukh Khan was a visual treat. The VFX was impeccable considering the time. The movie's plot was a high concept and it received mixed reviews throughout but unanimously, everyone loved Rampal's portrayal of Ra.One. The character was based on Ravana from Ramayana but his villainous voice and VFX made him a new-gen villain for the youth.
#5
'Housefull' (2010)
This is one of the most commercially successful franchises in Hindi cinema. The sequels got hilarious and more painful than a root canal but Akshay Kumar's comic timing was a saving grace. Rampal played Padukone's brother who was in the Indian Army and hated lies. He was scary yet funny and his mannerisms with Kumar were very stylish and entertaining.