Arjun Rampal's New Look Is Dhaakad Max: 'Needed To Push The Envelope'

Madhureeta Mukherjee (BOMBAY TIMES; May 14, 2022)

We have seen many shades of Arjun Rampal — across platforms — grey too, but this time, like the actor reveals, ‘Evil has a new name. ’ The antagonist of the action spy thriller Dhaakad, who has gone really dark, has turned on the heat with a platinum blonde style, looking hotter than ever! And he has the protagonist, Agent Agni, loaded with ammo, played by Kangana Ranaut, to battle. With the film gearing up for release on May 20, Arjun talks to us about how cinema jargon has changed, the way actors have broken the shackles and how stories packed with woman-power attract him. He is all guns blazing. Read on…

In a film where the protagonist is so fiery and powerful, the antagonist has to be as deadly, or more, right? Would you say this is your deadliest avatar of sorts? In a social media post you had said, ‘Evil has a new name.’
Yes, I think so. My character, Rudraveer, is quite vicious, and he has a mission, as he comes from a space where everything is taken from him. So, he is protective about all that he has achieved so far. He gathers a lot of loyalty amongst his people, and he is anti-system. Somewhere, his heart is dark, but he doesn’t think he is doing anything wrong because this is the world he has created. When you get a character like this to play, it is lethal, and also, sometimes scary…

…Because it takes you into a different mental space? Dark, perhaps?
It does take you into a different mind space. It makes you think. When you are performing, until you don’t feel it, whether it is a small or large part, it doesn’t come across. You can do it on a superficial level, but that’s not what you want to do. For me, to feel him was important, and when you do that, you get in touch with those emotions and get into that mind frame. It has an impact on you. You become aware of what really evil is and how bad it can get. It scares you. I’m glad it scared me, because you know that your mind can never tread in that direction, ever, where you slam or shoot someone and feel no emotion. There is this one montage shot where I have to go and hack someone, and Razy (director, Razneesh Ghai) told me to just go for it.

So, at that point, what do you think about?
You probably think of the anger which is there inside of you, if any, and you tap into that and let it out. It took me a while to get into that scene, and when I did, they didn’t say cut, and I kept going on and on. Now when I see those eyes, I am like, ‘Wow, this is me!’ That came from somewhere.

There is not as much of the action spy thriller genre seen in our movies, theatricals, especially. Then, here you have a woman leading the show, doing hardcore action. A superb idea, but rare in our cinema. How did you react when you were pitched this concept?
I was excited because I could tell that Razy is a filmmaker with a distinct style and visual sense, which is captivating. Also, from the time that we have been making our films, we follow a certain style that often alienates a certain generation of moviegoers, like Gen Z, which includes my children who consume different kinds of content. They have been exposed to OTT so much more, so they feel that often what they see on screen is a watered-down version, especially in this genre. The action in this film is of a different level. We had action choreographers from Korea, the US, as well as India. The action sequences and visuals are something that will stay with you. Another thing that struck me was that the film is going to have such a different feel with a woman doing all this action. You have seen a man do this on the screen so many times, the novelty of the whole film is seeing a woman do such hardcore action...

Go on...
Every time I do a film led by a woman, I think of what my mom did for us and the sacrifices she made. As a single mom, she took brave and drastic steps in her life, at a time when women did not have that kind of voice. If she hadn’t made those choices, then I wouldn’t have been here today. I have done films like The Rapist, Dhaakad, Kahaani 2, and way back, Dil Hai Tumhaara, Tehzeeb and Dil Ka Rishta, and I would always wonder why such roles attracted me. Then I figured out that somewhere I have this innate feeling inside me. I also have two daughters (Mahikaa and Myra) and have been around women who are so incredible. Also, today, it’s about the film and not about you. We have so many opportunities, I am doing two big action films as the protagonist, and people will see me in that light, too. When they told me that Kangana is the protagonist, I knew that she would put her everything into it. She has trained really hard for this film. In our first schedule together for the film in Bhopal, she had to do one difficult take where she had to dismantle this whole pistol and use it as a weapon to stab a man. She did it in two takes. It was hardcore, and I was like, ‘Wow, she is on fire!’

For a theatrical film, the vision of a story can sometimes get diluted because filmmakers have that constant pressure to deliver a certain number at the box office, while catering to various sensibilities and markets. Hence, at times it compels them to play it safe to ensure payback on their projects. On the other hand, the digital medium gives far more room for flexibility, experiments and surprises. Would you agree?
All that jargon we had… that we have to make a film for this audience and that, and we have to please everyone just because it’s a big-screen release — that time is over! That audience has gone. Today, the audience will reject your movie as they know exactly what you are trying to do. We have seen that happen now. The audience has outright rejected films that have been made with calculations and tropes that try to please them. Today, with huge competition from OTT, to pull people out of their homes and bring them to the theatres, we have to make films that create an intrigue in people, where they will say, ‘Yes, I want to watch this movie on the big screen.’

It appears like there is less pressure when a film or show releases in the digital space. But is that true?
Given that the reach of the digital medium is so wide, if you don’t hit the mark, there is a larger audience that will notice it. And vice-versa. In the entertainment business, there is no one way. Everything is a double-edged sword. You are right, in the OTT space, it might seem that there is no box-office pressure, but there is a huge amount of pressure at a different level, and how well you have done is also measured differently. They (the digital platforms) calculate how much their subscriptions have gone up; they can even tell you on which episode engagement level. So, that decides if they want to do the second season of a show. It’s business, after all, so there is immense pressure to achieve what they have set out to do.

Would you say that this medium has let you reinvent yourself, helped you stay relevant and find a new audience?
Not only find a new audience, but also do a lot that I wanted to do, but could not, as there were restrictions — because of the reasons we discussed earlier... like filmmakers wanting to play it safe for BO returns. We weren’t getting opportunities to do exactly what we wanted or a chance to push the envelope. With OTT, that has changed. It has smashed all those mirages that caged you as an artiste. It has opened up new avenues not only for actors who want to experiment, but also for new talent.

The filters and parameters that you use while big-screen film, are they any different?
Honestly, the question that I ask myself when I am signing a project is, am I going to be satisfied as an artiste? This creative satisfaction is what I was always looking for, and that’s why I kept jumping between genres and working with filmmakers with different sensibilities. Now, I know where and how to find what I am looking for, whether it’s on OTT or the big screen, it doesn’t matter. As an actor, every film for me is a big one, irrespective of the medium.

Do your daughters, Mahikaa and Myra follow your work closely? Are there discussions about cinema at home?
Mahikaa and I have interesting conversations about cinema. She is 20, she is studying acting and films in the UK, and really enjoying it. We talk a lot about technique, what we do and how we do it. If she needs to make a big speech, she will call me and do it for me, if I am lucky. I get interesting insights from her, which I can apply to my work. We analyse scenes that I have done, and she asks me, ‘What you were thinking while doing this? I think the expression worked here.’ So, we mostly have discussions like that.

As an aspiring artiste, gearing up to step into the world of cinema, what kind of advice do you dole out to her, as a father and actor?
I tell her to not fall into the trap of trying to impress anyone. That’s what we tend to do; we try to impress and impress, and eventually, we start hating our job and get prone to be disillusioned by ourselves. But actually, you’ve already been disillusioned as you are working to please someone else and not doing what is right for the part. So, if you are honest with your part, everything else will fall into place. This is the advice I would give any actor — remove all the noise and focus on what you are supposed to do, purely and honestly. For Mahikaa, too, it is important to understand this. We are constantly trying to prove ourselves, but you don’t have to do any of that. Just let go. You have to say, this is my work, and if someone doesn’t like it, they don’t like it. You are entitled to your choice, but I am also absolutely entitled to not agree with your choice (laughs!).