In the past few years, many Bollywood actors have tried their hand at south movies. Arjun Rampal is the latest to jump on the bandwagon, with his maiden Telugu film Bhagavanth Kesari that hit the marquee on October 19. The actor was initially hesitant about signing the Nandamuri Balakrishna-starrer as he doesn’t speak the language, but all it took was a meeting with director Anil Ravipudi to change his mind.

“I’ve been offered other south films before, but I wasn’t certain how I would tackle the language. That was my biggest fear. Anil Ravipudi and producer Sahu Garapati came down to Mumbai and narrated the script to me. I liked the story, and Anil’s energy. He assured me that I would get my lines in advance, and that they would send someone to rehearse my lines with me,” says Rampal.

Though Ravipudi offered to have someone dub his lines in Telugu, the actor decided to give it a go himself. “I would ask for my lines, learn the meaning of every word and memorise my dialogues before I came on set. Then I would sit with [my language coach] Rajesh [to better it]. Telugu is a difficult language; each word is [as long as] a sentence in Hindi, and you have to say it fast. I felt that saying my lines would help me emote [better].”

In the action comedy, Rampal plays antagonist Rahul Sanghvi, a business tycoon who locks horns with Balakrishna’s character. It was fun stepping into the role for the actor, who quips, “I have not worn such colourful clothes ever!”

He has done several grey roles in Hindi cinema too. Does he gravitate towards them? “Playing a negative role is difficult and tiring because you have to switch to a mode that has nothing to do with you as a person. You have to create the badness in your mind. You can go to bed more peacefully playing positive characters.”

Working with Balakrishna, one of Telugu film industry’s top stars, was a fantastic experience for Rampal. “In our first meeting, when I went to meet him on his birthday, there were thousands of fans outside his home. As we made our way to the gate and it was opened, the fans rushed in and we were left out. [I noticed that] he met all of them. He is a gentleman, disciplined and enthusiastic about his work.”

From foraying into Telugu cinema to embracing fatherhood for the fourth time, it has been a year filled with significant professional and personal milestones for Arjun Rampal. The model-turned-actor was in Hyderabad recently to shoot for the upcoming Balakrishna-starrer directed by Anil Ravipudi, Bhagavanth Kesari.

In a candid chat with Hyderabad Times, Arjun, who plays the antagonist in the movie, opened up about the challenges of working in the south Indian film industry, his recent fatherhood experience and his daughter Myra's independent stride on the runway and more. Excerpts:

I’ve watched a couple of south films, especially those directed by Mani Ratnam and S S Rajamouli. Their movies are visually captivating and hold a unique charm. Each film has its own distinct appeal. So, I'm excited to be finally stepping into south film industry. I must say, as beautiful as they are to watch, working here is a whole new ball game. It took a lot out of me.

I hate being repetitive, so I gravitate towards roles that allow me to tap unexplored spaces. I don’t want to be your run-of-the-mill baddie; I want to play characters that stay with the audience, be it for better or worse. Anil offered me just that and I took up the challenge. I would love to say yes to more Telugu projects should this click.

It's never easy to pick up a new language and Telugu is not an easy language to learn. But the way it's spoken aligns rather nicely with my baritone (laughs). It was extremely challenging to ensure I was emoting right. But I became so comfortable with it, Anil got carried away and began writing long shots for me.

I visited a local theatre here during the screening of the film's teaser. The energy was infectious, and I noticed people tossing what I initially thought was money, creating a screen-covering spectacle. It was only afterward that I realized it was homemade confetti. I've never witnessed such unwavering loyalty and profound love for cinema before.

Watching Myra, I'm strongly reminded her mom (Arjun's ex-wife Mehr Jesia) when she walks the ramp. And she refuses to be called a nepo baby because she’s doing it all on her own. Her determination to carve her own path fills me with pride.