Arjun Rampal
Arjun Rampal is an Indian actor and model who mainly works in Hindi films. He made his acting debut in Rajiv Rai's romance film Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat and has since gone on to act in more than 40 films. Known for his broodish charm and baritone voice, he has received several awards including the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Rock On!!.
He has enacted lead roles in romance films including Deewaanapan, Dil Hai Tumhaara, Dil Ka Rishta, Vaada and I See You, action films Asambhav and D-Day, thrillers Yakeen and Roy, socio-political Chakravyuh, crime drama Inkaar and biopic Daddy. The year 2002 marked a turning point for Rampal when he featured in Aankhen, his breakthrough success, though followed by a continuous setback. Later he found a career resurgence starring in the commercially successful mainstream films Don, Om Shanti Om, Housefull, Raajneeti and Ra.One. After another big career decline, he made his Telugu debut as an antagonist in Bhagavanth Kesari. His portrayal of Major Iqbal in the 2025 film Dhurandhar was well received by the audience.
Rampal became a film producer with I See You under his banner, Chasing Ganesha Films, and then produced the biopic Daddy, for which he also co-wrote the screenplay.
Early life
Rampal was born on 26 November 1972 in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India, in a family with military background. His maternal grandfather, Brigadier Gurdayal Singh, designed the first artillery gun for the Indian Army post-independence. His father is a Punjabi Hindu Brahmin while his mother is part Sikh and part Dutch. Actress Kim Sharma is Arjun Rampal's first cousin.Rampal grew up in a multicultural environment where the family celebrated Christmas, Diwali and Eid. He stayed with his mother after the separation of his parents and attended St. Patrick School where his mother was a teacher. He then attended the Kodaikanal International School. Later, he graduated with a degree in economics with honours from Hindu College, Delhi. He went on to become a model and was featured in several music videos like Bekaraar, Kinna Sona Tenu Rab Ne Banaya directed by Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru, and Don't Marry Maya directed by Rajiv Rai.
Acting career
1997–2005: Early lead roles
Rampal was recommended by director Shekhar Kapur for a lead role in Ashok Mehta's Moksha. Rampal began shooting for the film opposite Manisha Koirala in 1997 but it took years to complete the film. He also signed for Shantanu Sheorey's Jadh opposite Jackie Shroff, Tabu and Smriti Mishra. The shooting of the film was completed but it was not released.Rampal's first release that marked his acting debut in Bollywood was Rajiv Rai's romance film Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat opposite Sunil Shetty, Aftab Shivdasani and Kirti Reddy. Rampal gave a show stealing performance and earned all the attention. He earned critical acclaim for his performance in the movie. Taran Adarsh of indiaFM wrote "Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat is a showcase for Arjun Rampal to exhibit his talent. The guy looks dashing and emotes with utmost sincerity. He's handled the emotional moments with maturity, which is so rare for a first-timer. A confident debut!" This established Rampal as a leading actor in the Indian film industry. He was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut but swept the awards in the Best Male Debut category at the Star Screen and IIFA ceremonies.
His next release was Ashu Trikha's Deewaanapan, in which Rampal was paired with Dia Mirza. He earned critical acclaim for his performance, but the film flopped at the box office. Taran Adarsh of IndiaFM wrote: "Arjun Rampal carries the film on his broad shoulders and comes up with a sincere performance that is consistent throughout. He is wonderful in action sequences and springs a pleasant surprise in the emotional moments by delivering the apposite expressions." Ashish Magotra of Rediff gave negative reviews on Rampal, writing: "Among the actors, Arjun Rampal as the hero does pretty much what he has been known to do. He models. His acting capabilities leave a lot to be desired." Moksha was his third release of the year. This film marked Rampal's third consecutive flop at the box office, but Rampal earned critical acclaim. Taran Adarsh of IndiaFM wrote: "Arjun Rampal excels in a role that was difficult to portray. He takes giant strides as a performer and proves that he's an actor with an amazing range." Priyanka Bhattacharya of Rediff considered the movie to be "more a 70-mm portfolio for Arjun Rampal than a story."
Rampal's first release of 2002 was Vipul Amrutlal Shah's Aankhen, in which Rampal starred in an ensemble cast featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Sushmita Sen, Paresh Rawal and Aditya Pancholi. He played the role of a blind person. The film was ranked above average at the box office and became the fourth-highest grossing Bollywood film of 2002. His next release was Kundan Shah's Dil Hai Tumhaara opposite Rekha, Preity Zinta, Mahima Chaudhry and Jimmy Shergill. The film was a flop.
In 2003, Rampal played a lead role in Naresh Malhotra's Dil Ka Rishta opposite Aishwarya Rai. Rampal earned critical acclaim for his performance. Ronjita Kulkarni of Rediff wrote: "Arjun Rampal shakes off his wooden image and comes up with a good performance. He is subtle and convincing in the emotional scenes. He has certainly moved on from Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat." It was ranked the thirtieth film of the year on the basis of box office collections. Rampal's next role was in Khalid Mohammed's Tehzeeb opposite Urmila Matondkar. Rampal played a Muslim in the film. The film earned critical acclaim. Taran Adarsh praised his performance, quoting: "the easy-going attitude his character reflects injects that certain sheen to the enterprise."
In 2004, Rampal collaborated with Rajiv Rai for the second time in his first action thriller Asambhav. Rampal starred opposite Priyanka Chopra and played the role of an Indian commando Captain Aadit Arya. The film was entirely shot in Switzerland. Released on 23 July, Asambhav was Rampal's only release of the year. Shahid Khan of PlanetBollywood.com wrote: "Arjun Rampal looks good and he suits the mould of the action hero very well."
Rampal's first release of 2005 was Satish Kaushik's Vaada, in which he played a lead role opposite Ameesha Patel and Zayed Khan. The film was a flop. Patcy N of Rediff praised Rampal, writing: "Arjun Rampal has done a good job; his is a subdued performance, and the model-turned-actor looks great in most scenes." Rampal's next release was Vikram Bhatt's multi-starrer action film Elaan. The film managed to do well and became an average-grosser at the box office. Rampal earned critical acclaim for his performance in Elaan. Subhash K. Jha of IANS praised Rampal and wrote: "Arjun is pretty much on his own. Once again playing a man with responsibilities he brings a controlled conviction to both his scenes with his screen daughter and his engrossing death scene." Merril Diniz of Rediff wrote: "Arjun Rampal is almost believable as the rugged ex-cop. He has a deep baritone and svelte body language."
Rampal's third release of the year was the mystery thriller Yakeen, in which Rampal was paired in a lead role with Priyanka Chopra for the second time. He received acclaim for improving his emotional acting. Taran Adarsh praised his performance, quoting: "Cast in complex role, Arjun Rampal delivers his best performance so far. The role would've lost its bearings had it been entrusted to an inferior actor, but Arjun sinks his teeth into it and emerges trumps. The actor portrays the gamut of emotions with aplomb and delivers a flawless performance. He is truly efficient in sequences when he starts suspecting his wife's fidelity in the first half. The shower sequence as also the intermission point display Arjun's range as an actor." Rampal's last release of the year was Apoorva Lakhia's Ek Ajnabee opposite Amitabh Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Perizaad Zorabian. This film featured Rampal in his first negative role as Shekhar Verma, the bodyguard of a child, but is actually a corrupted person. Subhash K Jha praised Rampal's performance and wrote, "The narrative has some nice supporting performances, particularly Arjun Rampal who's gone both over and under the skin of his bar-owner ex-army man's role. Not only does Rampal look right, he feels right."
His first release of 2006 was the love triangle based Humko Tumse Pyaar Hai opposite Bobby Deol and Ameesha Patel. This film was a delayed release. Satyajit of SmasHits quoted "Arjun Rampal has also been promising and it shows in his performance. The media might have labeled him "wooden actor" but he has shown great improvisation in emotional scenes." Taran Adarsh wrote: "Arjun is awkward at places in initial portions, but gets into the rhythm subsequently. The emotional sequences in the second half clearly indicate that he's come a long way." His next appearance was the multi-starrer anthology Darna Zaroori Hai. Rampal starred in the story "Spirits Do Come" opposite Bipasha Basu and Makrand Deshpande, directed by Prawal Raman. Despite a cast of stars, the film flopped at the box office.
2006–07: Producer and breakthrough
Rampal reprised the supporting role of Jasjit in Don – The Chase Begins Again, a remake of the 1978 movie Don. The role had been played by Pran in the original Don. Don – The Chase Begins Again starred Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra and the movie became Rampal's first hit. The film proved to be a breakthrough movie for Rampal, although Khan earned the most attention. Taran Adarsh praised his performance, quoting: "Despite the shortcomings, he makes a sincere attempt."Rampal established his own production company Chasing Ganesha Films with his wife Mehr Jesia. The first movie under that banner I See You was Rampal's last release of 2006. He played a lead role opposite newcomer Vipasha Agarwal. The movie was shot entirely in London, England. Like his past movies, I See You was also a failure at the box office and received poor reviews. However, Rampal earned critical acclaim for his work. Taran Adarsh wrote: "I See You rests on Arjun's shoulders. Arjun is efficient in a role that doesn't really demand histrionics. He has proved his credentials in the past and his performance in this film is at par with his earlier works. He works best in the dramatic portions."
In 2007, Rampal starred in an antagonist role in Om Shanti Om opposite Shah Rukh Khan and the debuting Deepika Padukone. The film emerged as the year's highest-grossing film in India and the overseas market, and became India's highest grossing production ever up to that point with a worldwide gross of over 1.48 billion. It was Rampal's biggest hit in his career and earned him critical acclaim for his villainous role. Sukanya Verma of Rediff wrote: "Rampal's persona exudes too much warmth to pass off as a cold-blooded antagonist." Rampal won the Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role for his villainous performance in Om Shanti Om and got nominations at the IIFA, Star Screen and Apsara ceremonies.