At the launch of Nivea Men in Mumbai yesterday, Team MissMalini cornered India’s most desirable man – Arjun Rampal – for a chat on what it feels like to be voted as desirable, his Bollywood insecurities and what he does in his free time.
Listen in:
How does it feel to be voted as India’s most desirable man?
I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t feel great. You feel great when you know that your fans have gone and voted for you so I just want to take this opportunity to say thank you to my fans. And also my parents were smiling from ear-to-ear because I guess, the way I look or whatever it is, is because of them.
What does it mean to be well groomed?
It’s about being hygienic, being aware of your body. For example, when you work-out and if you tear a muscle tissue and you need to repair it, you need to eat properly, eat healthy, eat protein, you make sure you follow the regime of your diet because you want your body to be healthy and look good. Similarly, with your skin, you need to look after it because it goes through a lot of wear and tear without you realizing it. It’s a very strong organ, yet its very sensitive so you need to keep your pores clean and make sure your skin gets enough of oxygen.
What do you do on your off days?
Well, I read a lot and I like to catch up on old films which I have not yet seen. I also love to spend time with my family. And if I’m off for a very long time, I’m off on a plane, travelling to places I have not seen.
Do so many new entrants in Bollywood make you feel insecure?
I think the more, the merrier. Where there is growth, there is more employment and when you see so many new talents in any profession – leave alone the film industry – be it lifestyle or any industry, you know that that industry is growing because it’s creating more jobs and that’s pretty great for all involved.
And Arjun reads out your Twitter questions:
@priya64: Any news about his ‘Alive’ perfume brand expanding?
Yup, we’ve done pretty well with Alive and it’s sold a lot of units. We’ve got more orders out there and I will be coming out with another line of perfumes very soon. So thank you. I’m glad you liked the perfumes.
@Varun_dreamy: Who is your favourite co-star?
You know, with each film it changes. You can’t just say that “This is my favourite co-star and I’d like to work with them the most”. I think right now whoever I work with, becomes my favourite co-star at that point in time because that’s that relationship we share with that person when we are working together.
@abhinavroy26690: Any character from Hollywood that you would have loved to play?
I would have loved to play the character of Tony Montana in Scarface.
@BeingFarah: Which Indian actor would you like to share screen space with in the future?
Who have I not worked with? I think I’ve worked with everybody so far….I think so. I’ve done it all.
What is your role in Satyagraha?
Satyagraha is a political thriller. My character is one of a young, aspiring politician who is aggressive, almost a rebellious kind of a character. Satyagraha was a peaceful, non-violent movement started by Mahatma Gandhi and for this character to be a part of that is very unique and different. But he follows this movement and becomes a part of this movement. And then, the kind of differences he shares with people and that movement – because he has his own way of looking at things because he’s quite a complex character – is what makes this very different from the other Prakash Jha films that I’ve done.
Any message you want to give to your fans?
Since we are here at the Nivea Men launch, all you men out there should go and get yourselves some Nivea products – they are really fantastic. But to all may fans, I just want to say I love you all and I do whatever I do, for you.
Pix: Yogen Shah for MissMalini