Arjun Rampal says the primary job of an actor is reinvention, as the moment one starts repeating roles, a shelf life is born.
In the last few years, Rampal has featured in films of diverse genres — thriller ‘Kahaani 2’ and the Arun Gawli biopic ‘Daddy’ to war drama ‘Paltan’.
“All an actor really desires is to reinvent himself. The primary job of an actor is reinvention. So I want to keep at it and try different things,” he said,
“If you keep doing the same stuff, you get slotted and to be categorised in a certain way is creating a shelf life for an actor,” added Rampal.
The actor, however, says making a “universally acceptable” film is a challenge.
“To make a universally acceptable film, you have to cater to different audiences. The path that I choose to walk on is not to do the typical films which you see. That’s a conscious decision I’ve taken,” he said.
The actor recently made his digital debut with ZEE5’s original series ‘The Final Call’, in which he plays a pilot.
The thriller centres around the passengers of a Mumbai to Sydney flight whose lives are endangered after the captain decides to commit suicide on board.
“The audience today is more open and accepting. I realise that a film could have a great message or intent but it has to be engaging. I keep trying to work towards that. ‘The Final Call’ had the perfect balance of being engaging and edgy, while also being accessible,” he said of the web series.
While the actor has tried to branch out, the films have not always been a box office draw. Arjun says failure is painful but one cannot afford to dwell on it.
“You have to take it with a pinch of salt and move on. You can’t go blaming people and say it was their fault. When you do that, you’re making yourself weak. You have to reflect and realise what it was that didn’t work.”
