Arjun Rampal

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Arjun Rampal was born in Jabalpur to a family with a military background. After his parents’ divorce Rampal grew up mostly with his mother, wherehe attended St Patrick’s School and Kodaikannal boarding school finishing which he pursued economic scholars from Hindu College in Delhi University. Rampal caught the eye of one of India’s leading fashion designer Rohit Bal in a high end party in a discotheque in Delhi , Rohit Bal from there on took Arjun under his wings and promoted Rampal until he became a major male model in the fashion industry. Modeling turned out to be the turning point in Ramapal’s career as it led to his contacts in film industry and eventual entry into cinema.

Arjun Rampal is married to model Mehr Jesia and has two daughters Mahika Rampal and Myra Rampal. There were speculations in media that the couple were parting ways in the recent time but they have openly discarded it as being a rumour only.

Director-Producer Rajiv Rai was the first person in the film industry who recognized Rampal’s acting talent, he promoted Rampal by making him part of Rai’s short musical video ‘Don’t Marry’ opposite was crucial for Rampal at that point of time. After which Rai again cast him in romantic drama Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbet, which was Rampal’s acting debut in the year 2001 alongside Kirti Reddy and Sunil Shetty . Though the movie bombed at the box office Rampal could not have asked for a better opening as he was praised by critics and audiences for his alarmingly matured performance in his debut which gained him much following and popularity in Hindi cinema. Rampal was nominated for many prestigious Awards that year. Rampal’s next release was Deewaanapan where he costarred with Diya Mirza, though the movie repeated the commercial run of his previous outing Rampal yet again secured positive word of mouth for his performance. Ashok Mehta’s Moksha had Rampal coming up with a cracker performance which boosted his career to new heights even and got him national recognition and many considered his presence to be one of the highlights of the movie. The year 2002 saw Rampal’s comeback in the Heist Thriller Aankhen along with an ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal and Sushmita Sen. The movie was a grosser of the year and went on to receive high critical acclaim and fetching much accolades. Dil Hai Tumhaara did Rampal no favors whatsoever. Dil Ka Rishta and Tehzeeb were his next major releases in 2003, both garnered highly encouraging reviews and turned out to be priceless additions to Rampal’s filmography but he was still seen missing the trick in creating box office recognition. Rampal collaborated with Rajeev Rai once again for the mediocre grosser thriller in 2004 which was his only release that year. Elaan too though the movie repeated stellar reviews praising Rampal’s acting credentials yet commercial success seemed to somehow avert him and his movies as it went on to be declared a sleeper hit. Yakeen and Ek Ajnabee was his next big releases; the later saw him in a negative role for the very time, both of which were big leaps for Rampal the actor and he had risen to be one of the finest actors in Hindi cinema at that point. Major Break in a Supporting roles (2007 onwards) Rampal received his very first blockbuster release in Farhan Akhtar’s action thriller Don ; a modern day retelling of Amitabh Bachchan’s yesteryear classic ,the ShahRukh Khan starrer had Rampal in a supporting role reprising Pran’s character in the original version, his highly nuanced portrayal of the emotionally compelling character was well received and was his first major commercial success. Immediately after Don, Rampal established his own production company Chasing Ganesha Films, which produced his romcom I See You which was a critical and commercial washout, ending with only critics special mention for Rampal’s towering performance over the weak script. Rampal shone in a major full on negative in Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om again opposite Shah Rukh Khan, and Deepika Padukone. Om Shanti Om emerged as a milestone in Arjun Rampal’s career and a biggest blockbuster till date and he was seen pulling of an amazing performance as the antagonist with his serene charm and quiet ways rather than the typical shrieking out loud stereotyped Bollywood Villains that audience were used to till then. The year 2007 saw him come up with his career best performance in the musical coming of age movie Rock On! The movie starring Farhan Akhtar had him in a dazzling supporting role which also went on to fetch him National Film Award for Supporting Actor and innumerable awards for effortlessly portraying Joe Mascarenhas, a musician who finds himself at odds with the fast changing world. Rampal returned with Rituparno Gosh directorial The Last Lear, it continued Rampal’s terrific critical run with exemplary review for his performances cited as a show stealer. Ra one was yet another game changer for Rampal as he came up yet another decisive act as the main villain opposite Shah Rukh Khan in a character that which also became noted on a wide level and also was a commercial success. Rampal came back in 2012 with three projects Heroine, Chakravyuh and Ajab Ghazab Love all of which went unnoticed except for Heroine which garnered his performance positive reviews along with encouraging word of mouth for the other two. Nikhil Adwani’s D-Day saw him portraying a RAW agent, which further proved his value to cinema goers. Acclaimed filmmaker Prakash Jha cast him as a part of his ensemble political drama also winning him good reviews. After one year break Rampal returned to mainstream cinema with Ranbir Kapoor’ in 2015s Roy, which was a forgettable venture for all name associated with it and thus bringing Rampal’s career to a standstill. Rampal’s latest release was the sequel to Rock On 2 which went on to receive mixed reviews from everywhere and his upcoming work is the biopic on the life of Gangster turned politician Arun Gawli in Daddy.