His single glance can melt you, his one smile can cure the saddest of hearts, and his angelic face can light up your day. Precisely why my bedroom walls had more of the yesteryear ramp lord Arjun Rampal than spiritual lords who find enough space on the other walls of the house. That every time I get up, I see his and every time I leave the room I look into his eyes and say good bye is a blessing in disguise which was given to me by my younger brother. You have seen the man and loved him whether be it his days on the ramp or in the movies. But unlike the ramp his homecoming in the film industry happened a tad too late, but when it did he showed signs of a true phoenix who has risen above from the ashes, in this case the ashes of a spate of flops and failures.
Born on November 26th 1972, the talent in him by discovered by Indian fashion mogul Rohit Bal, he was picked up from a Delhi discotheque and placed on a more suitable platform: the ramp. And as they say the rest is history. His debut movie was 'Pyaar, Ishq Aur Mohabbat' which did not exactly set the box-office on fire but did give career a kick start it needed. Since his debut, he has worked steadily in films such as Aankhen (2002), Dil Hai Tumhaara (2002), Yakeen (2005) and Ek Ajnabee (2005) of which Ek Ajnabee was one his most riveting performances with his character having shades of grey which he delivered with finesse and an ease which was missing in his previous performances. In 2002, he won the Award of the International Indian Film Academy for Face of the Year. He received critical acclaim for Ek Ajnabee a reason which can be attributed to his choosing films which reflected him in a less positive light, like Don - The Chase Begins (2006) and in the recently released Om Shanti Om where he starred against the majestic Sharukh Khan, a movie which added the most colourful feather to his bollywood cap.
The man is here to stay, having said that he always was, the only thing is he has now announced his arrival; loud, big and with a bang. A homecoming (Om Shanti Om) which won him awards and a lot of critical praise has made him declare his territory and mark it with a boundary that can’t be trudged upon.
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