I don't like to play safe roles: Arjun Rampal

His stint as a cold blooded villain in 'Om Shanti Om' turned his fortune and after a national-award-winning performance in 'Rock On!',  Arjun Rampal no longer want to play "safe roles".
   
Recognition has come late for the model-turned-actor, who started his career in Bollywood with 'Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat' in 2001.

Despite starring in 20 odd films as lead, it was Shah Rukh Khan starrer 'Om Shanti Om' when lady luck smiled at Rampal and the actor is keen to keep it that way by taking up roles that are challenging.
   
He is currently shooting for Shah Rukh Khan's super hero movie 'Ra.One' and is quite excited about it.
   
"I don't like to play safe roles..they are boring. Ra.One is an ambitious film. Ladies enjoy action and super hero movies. We are keeping our fingers crossed. It is a hugely experimental movie and we are working hard to make the vision of the makers come true," Rampal said.
   
Rampal is happy with the way his acting career has shaped up.
   
"Post 'Om Shanti Om' (OSO),'Don', 'Last Lear','Rock On'...all my choice of films have turned out well. I am fortunate that the teams which put together these movies have been good," Rampal, who is seeing some acclaim coming in for Sajid Khan's 'Housefull', said.

The 37-year-old actor says the National Award for the Best Supporting Actor in 'Rock On!' has made him confident as an actor.

"I worked on Rock On! from my heart with a lot of passion," he said adding now he is surefooted enough to create his space in a film.

On his role in Rajneeti, the actor said he plays Prithvi Pratap, the scion of a political dynasty.
   
"Prithvi is a very extreme, impulsive character. He likes everything larger than life. If he likes something, he loves it and if he dislikes something, he hates it. He likes everything that is larger than life, Arjun said.

"He wants to achieve everything. He is super ambitious..an aggressive person who either sees black or white. He has an agenda, a mission and acts impulsively and has a good sense of politics. He thinks from his heart rather than his head, which is a positive as well as the drawback of Prithvi," Arjun said.
   
He said the USP of Rajneeti was that there was no hero or villain in the film. "Every body was a normal human being who behaves as they feel.. the best thing to do at that moment."

Arjun said he observed a lot of young educated politicians like Rahul Gandhi, Sachin Pilot and Milind Deora to learn the body language and get into the skin of his role.

"But there was no question of emulating or copying them. In the film, all the politicians are educated people. So it was best that I observe contemporary young politicians. I also saw videos of young Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi," he said.
    
Arjun said 'Rajneeti' is about a political dynasty but it was wrong to link the film to the Gandhi family.

"Katrina plays an Indian girl from Bhopal. Just because in real life, she was born in England and lived in different countries, it was wrong to say that her role was modelled on Sonia Gandhi," he said.
    
He however, refused to discuss the relationship between his character and that of Katrina in the dark political thriller, which will hit the screens on June 4.

When told that it was evident from the promos that Katrina plays his wife, the actor said, "You have to see the film to know about the relationship. They share a special relationship and subtle as well."
       
Arjun said the film does not preach politics. "It is an interesting political family drama...more about what happens closed doors."

The actor said politics is a nobel profession and the problem crops up when the power is misused.
   
"The film also dwells into this aspect. The fight is for the chair and how to win elections. Power can blind anybody," he said.