Arjun Rampal: If I have to get really fat for a role, I'll do it | Exclusive 

Arjun Rampal Pic/Arjun Rampal`s Instagram

Actor Arjun Rampal, who has left generations quaking with his undisputable thirst-trapping appearance in films, is back to ‘Crakk' the big screen. Armed with a chiselled jawline, ripped physique, and a basso profondo voice, he has been packaged and delivered perfectly to lock horns with the athletic Vidyut Jammwal. In a candid tête-à-tête with mid-day.com, Arjun sheds light on how he prepped for the film, having his partner Gabriella Demetriades turn costume designer for the same, and more.

Over the years, Arjun has pulled off some of the most versatile roles with ease. He possesses the art of shape-shifting into a given character. Be it Mukesh "Mike" Mehra in 'Om Shanti Om', Joseph "Joe" Mascarenhas in 'Rock On!!' or Arun Gawli in 'Daddy', one simply cannot ignore his charisma on the screen. When asked if he puts a conscious effort to stay fit to garner better roles and avoid any barriers in terms of playing a character after a certain age, Arjun says that being in good health is a part of his lifestyle. He explains, "I don't think I need to have a six-pack or an eight-pack all the time. I have good habits, and they outweigh the bad habits. You tip the scales in your favour for longevity, fitness, mental peace, morale, and confidence. For example, if I have to get really fat for a role, and put on a lot of weight, I would love to do it. But I would also be confident enough because of my knowledge of how I could lose that weight and come back. Because I like myself at a certain weight, it makes me comfortable with myself, I'm not doing it for anything else."

In ‘Crakk', Arjun essays the role of a ruthless antagonist, who goes head-to-head with Vidyut Jammwal. Going by the film's trailer, Arjun seems to have pulled off the stunts and high-octane action sequences with ease, but the actor maintains that the outcome doesn't happen overnight.

He states, "It takes work - because Vidyut is a phenomenal actor, and a professional athlete - for me to look like one I had to prepare myself physically in that manner to get to that level. With any film that you do, depending on the requirement, it is the job of the actor to go and prepare. There are a lot of sacrifices that need to be made. For me, it was paramount to spend time on agility, strength training, and a tremendous amount of cardiovascular."

Arjun's ladylove Gabriella Demetriades has collaborated on this film as well by turning costume designer. On how she agreed to do the project, Arjun says, "When this part came to me, I wanted the guy to be very edgy, quirky, and different, be stylish but not like the clothes screaming out at you. I asked Gabriella, ‘What do you think?' Her first answer was not ‘Yeah I'd love to style you.' She said, ‘I'd like to read the script.' I was like, 'Wow, that's great.'

"She read the script and said, ‘I know exactly what I'm going to do with you'.' That really helped me. I think she did a spectacular job. And everybody was so impressed with her. I feel really proud that she did it. I didn't want to be that guy who is saying, take my wife or take my partner in this film for me. It just kind of makes me cringe when something like that would happen if I was a producer."

Arjun, by all means, is a family man, and just like any other father-daughter duo, his girls Mahikaa and Myra don't shy away from opining on his work. He shares, "None of them made the choice for me (laughs). If they revisit some of my old films, sometimes they make fun of me, just to pull my leg. But I have a comeback like try doing it yourself. Fortunately in recent times, because of the kind of choices that I've made, I think they've been far more mature, and come from a secure space. It's nice to discuss films because what I do is make films and the reason I make them is that we can have a conversation about it or the character. So rather than critiquing it is nice to discuss the film that gets the negatives and the positives but in a positive manner."

Crakk also stars Nora Fatehi and Amy Jackson. It will be released in the theatres on February 23.