Arjun Rampal: ‘I was opposite this beast who pushed the envelope’

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When we sit to chat with Arjun Rampal about his latest release, Crakk - Jeetegaa Toh Jiyegaa, his opening line to us is, "If it wasn't hard, I wouldn't have done it." The actor recalls that during the first narration, he realised that the film carries the vision of a "pretty crazy guy". With his second production, actor-producer Vidyut Jammwal belts out an extreme sports movie that revolves around an underground sports competition spearheaded by the antagonist, essayed by Rampal. "I have been in the industry for many years, and this was the first time I walked on the set and didn't know anyone. I was opposite this beast called Vidyut. He knows how to push the envelope with action. Every day I walked on the set, someone was somersaulting, another jumping out of a window, or cycling on a pole. I was surrounded by these awesome athletes and I had the tough job of doing it better than them," he shares.

Arjun Rampal

Aditya Datt's directorial venture, also starring Amy Jackson and Nora Fatehi, places action front and centre. Pulling it off couldn't have been a cakewalk for the 51-year-old. Point out that age is a crucial factor in fitness, and Rampal says he walked in ready to learn. "You can't give up on a great experience and great role. From rappelling to slacklining, I learnt each of these disciplines from the best in the business. As an actor, I had the grasping power to pick up new skills. Aditya and I went to Goa for 10 days, and worked on my character graph, philosophy and action sequences. Now, when I get scripts, I look at how it's going to make me feel uncomfortable. I want to evoke conversations with my work; I want my work to get more than just praise."

An important part of the film was the chemistry between Rampal and Jammwal's characters, who are pitted against each other. "They go head-on against each other. It becomes interesting only when there are no egos involved. You cast aside your ego first. Your whims, stardom, everything has to go from your system. Vidyut and I got our creative levels to the highest, and felt for the story and characters."