We Visited The Best Arjun Rampal Movies On His Birthday
These are the roles that made Arjun Rampal impossible to ignore
Long before scripts and spotlights, Arjun Rampal was a face before he was a name. Scouted at a Delhi party by the legendary designer Rohit Bal himself, he was pulled from relative obscurity straight onto the runway at a time when Indian menswear was just beginning to dream in high fashion. That “discovered at a party” legend stuck: the army-kid-with-boarding-school-manners suddenly became the poster boy for 90s Indian cool. Be it campaigns, editorials, or music videos, if there was a camera, it wanted him first.
Today, with over two decades in the spotlight as one of Hindi cinema’s most dependable actors, Rampal has mastered the rare balance of being both effortlessly glamorous and deeply compelling on screen. From the polished ruthlessness of Mukesh in Om Shanti Om to the menace that he was as Raajneeti’s Prithviraj Pratap, Rampal’s suave, baritone voice and striking looks changed the way Bollywood looked at villains as a whole. With him on screen, Hindi cinema’s villains grew charming, and anti-heroes became more humane character studies instead of mere tropes.
Arjun Rampal's Best Movies
On his birthday, we revisit some of his most memorable performances and look ahead to Dhurandhar, where he’s set to bring yet another intriguing character to life.
Om Shanti Om
Few 2000s-era villains come close to being as recognisable as Mukesh Mehra in Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om. Rampal plays the slick 80s-era producer who murders his secret wife and lead actress in his upcoming movie (Deepika Padukone’s Shanti), setting into motion a larger-than-life saga of rebirth and revenge that Shah Rukh Khan’s Om sets upon for his beloved Shanti. As a character, Mukesh is reminiscent of the suited villains of the past, but Rampal’s no fucks given attitude and restraint brought a breath of fresh air to the role.
Don 2 (2011)
In Farhan Akhtar’s 2006 remake of the cult classic about a mafia don who is replaced by a lookalike after his death, Arjun Rampal plays Jasjit Ahuja, a former IT professional who was manipulated into carrying out a heist by police commissioner D-Silva. Now, fresh out of prison, Ahuja is out to exact revenge for his wife’s death and be reunited with his lost son. Rampal brings a certain vulnerability to the character in a movie otherwise filled with criminal masterminds, swapped identities and merciless backstabbing, grounding the high-octane thriller with moments of quiet emotion.
Major Krishna Rao / Anna in Housefull (2010)
Rampal isn’t the kind of actor to shy away from risks, and his role as the imposing Major Krishna Rao introduced us to a new kind of villain with impeccable comedic timing in Housefull. Rampal plays the protective brother to Deepika Padukone’s Sandy, and his suspicion of Aarush’s motives sets off a series of hilarious events that will keep you laughing till your stomach hurts.
Rock On (2008)
Arjun Rampal won the National Award for playing Joe Mascarenhas in Rock On!!, a musical drama about a group of friends and bandmates who navigate their passion for music amidst personal struggles, heartbreak, and the pressures of adulthood, while also contending with the exacting demands of music industry executives. Rampal’s character touched a cord amongst audiences for his earnest desire to prove himself and his portrayal of the toll that failure takes on the lives of creatives and the people around them. As a coming-of-age story, Rock On!! resonates because it understands that growing up often means confronting the dreams you left behind and finding the courage to chase them again.
Daddy (2017)
Rampal made his writing debut with Ashim Ahluwalia’s Daddy, a biopic of the gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli. Although the movie did not manage to break even in the box office, Rampal’s portrayal of a young gawli’s descent into a life of crime in Mumbai’s underworld and the tight writing of the movie earned critical acclaim, and remains one of the most underrated roles portrayed by the actor till date.
Ra.One (2011)
There is a list on Letterboxd that went viral recently, noting down films where it takes two Shah Rukh Khans to defeat one Arjun Rampal. There are only two films in the list, but it stands out because of how rare it was for Bollywood to make a hero who is not up to par with the villains he is up against. That, in short, is the plot of Anubhav Sinha’s movie Ra.One: Shah Rukh Khan’s Shekhar makes a video game villain who is so powerful that he cannot be killed by any traditional gaming techniques. As a videogame villain brought to life, Rampal’s Ra.One does not have a character arc or much of a backstory, but the sheer power that he holds as a villain, constantly looming in the background, makes him one of the most menacing roles the actor has essayed in his career.
Raajneeti (2010)
Loosely based on the Mahabharata, Raajneeti tells the story of Ranbir Kapoor’s Samar, the younger son of a political family, who is begrudgingly dragged into politics with the assassination of his father. Rampal plays his wayward elder brother, Prithvi Pratap Singh, a volatile yet magnetic leader whose ambition often outpaces his judgement. He brings a rough-edged charm to the nuanced character, cutting through even with a star-studded ensemble around him.