‘Siachen was phenomenal’

Arjun Rampal, who will soon be seen in Daddy, based on the life and times of Maharashtra’s notorious don Arun Gawli, chats up about his role as well as his experience at the Siachen Glacier

Shoma A. Chatterji

Arjun Rampal, a top model once, is today rated among top actors of Bollywood. He has, however, consciously kept himself away from the rat-race and does not hit, even three films a year. In an interview, he opens up about his forthcoming release Daddy, which is based on the life and times of Maharashtra’s most notorious don Arun Gawli, besides his trip to the Siachen Glacier. Excerpts:

You were part of the first celebrity expedition to the Siachen Glacier. Tell us about it

Salute Siachen was a mission dedicated to our soldiers at the Siachen border where I, along with actors like Arunoday Singh and Rannvijay Singha, went and experienced life at the glacier. The  objective was to donate the money collected for war widows. However, they graciously declined this stating that the government was taking very good care of them. “If you want to do something, go see the jawans there and give them  motivation,” they said. That is how we decided to go and meet the jawans at Siachen. 

How was the experience?

The experience was completely out-of-this-world. It was exciting and filled with the thrill of an adventure. I was scared after we were told about the possible hardships we could encounter there. For instance, we were told  that the oxygen levels could drop drastically, or we could experience vertigo, etc. Once we reached the glacier, it was so quiet there that one could even hear a nail drop. It was a phenomenal experience. Our respect for our soldiers increased manifold when we saw the tough conditions they live in. They sleep on ice. We salute the dedication and devotion of the soldiers of the country who in spite the tough conditions they live in protect us with a smile on their faces.

On to Daddy, which is perhaps the most challenging role of your career?

Daddy is a biopic on Arun Gawli. The film is very close to my heart because it has an amazing story to tell…We have received an overwhelming response to the first trailer of the film. Gawli has many facets — the notorious gangster-turned politician is considered Robinhood by the residents of his neighbourhood, who lovingly call him Daddy. The two sides of this man pulled me to the challenge of portraying him.

How did you prepare for the role?

Besides getting the look right, I also interacted with Gawli’s wife and tried to imbibe the characteristic traits and habits of the gangster-turned politician. My director Ashim Ahluwalia, too, gave me lots of inputs and anecdotes about the dreaded gangster.