There must have been something special about the teenage boy, for Rohit Bal to walk up to him to ask if he is a model or would like to become one. That chance meeting with one of the country’s top fashion designers changed the life of the boy from Jabalpur who went on to become one of India’s top male models. Arjun Rampal was and still is one of the best-looking men in showbiz. Though he quit modeling for a career in films, the 48-year-old charmer manages to send everyone’s hearts racing each time he walks the ramp for a designer friend or posts his picture on his social media account. “I 
think life is about getting to know yourself and not creating boundaries around you. Don’t think about the end goal because that is limiting. I think that might be the reason people remember me as a model or others like Milind, Madhu, or Mehr because everybody was trying to do something beautiful and enjoying it,” says our June cover star. The stylish actor, who recently completed two decades in the movies, went down memory lane to share some interesting anecdotes from his fashion days…
SPOTTED!
I never planned to be a model. I had completed school in Delhi and was partying at a club in Mumbai when a gentleman walked up to me and asked if I am a model. When I told him I am not, he asked me to contact him if I ever change my mind. He wrote his name – Rohit Bal – on a coaster and gave it to me. Then when I was studying at Hindu College in Delhi, he spotted me again at another party and came up to me and asked if I am Arjun, the guy he had met earlier. I was quite taken aback that he remembered my name because by then, I knew he is famous. He was doing a shoot and asked if I’d like to come for it. I asked him what I will get in return and he said, ‘nice clothes’ and I thought, ‘that’s not a bad start’ (laughs). I ended up going for the shoot and I remember wearing a pair of bicycle shorts with a shirt and bandana and people pouring water on my head! The photographs were taken by Bharat Sikka and from what I recall, this was one of his initial shoots as well. I went to his office later and there 
were these big blow-ups of photographs. He asked me what I think and I said, ‘he’s a very good-looking guy’ and he said, ‘That is you, you idiot!’ (laughs) I thought ‘wow, he has made me look really nice’. That was the beginning of a friendship and association with Bharat and Rohit. I was still not looking at modeling as a profession; it was mainly for fun.
TASTE OF FAME
I shot for a magazine cover and got a bit of recognition. I liked the attention and the adulation that followed. My first fashion show was in Bangalore and I remember being very nervous walking on the runway. I got paid around Rs 5000 for it which was a lot of money for me. I got called for a Flying Machine campaign which was followed by Vimal and then Raymond and so, I moved to Mumbai.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
I come from a small town and it takes me a while to open up to people. I was painfully shy while growing up. Being in Mumbai around the rich and famous was quite intimidating for me. People would assume that I am arrogant and it was a difficult phase for me. However, I really enjoyed the process of meeting photographers and creating images. 
Bharat and I would experiment a lot with photographs. We would take clothes from Gudda (Rohit Bal) and I would style them on my own and Bharat would add his aesthetic sense to the shoots. We were really pushing the envelope and creating great images, and that for me, was very exciting.
MAKING FRIENDS WITH MUMBAI
I got a PG accommodation at Piramal House in Mumbai and was told it’s a vegetarian house. I ended up getting thrown out for eating chicken! (laughs) That year, I hustled my way through and landed two major publications, one with Society magazine and another with Femina. The latter rarely put a man on their cover those days. The only other person was Milind Soman at that time.
Milind was a complete God and he still is. He was my competition but we were really good friends. He and Madhu (Sapre) were extremely helpful towards me. We used to go around in taxis and visit small restaurants and dhabas for eating and just hang out together. They introduced me to a number of photographers and choreographers. Supermodels were beginning to arrive on the scene at that point of time. I think I was just at the right place at the right time and it was my destiny that I experienced that phase.
INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS
Very soon, I started getting bored of modeling. I thought maybe it had come too easy to me and I’m not deserving of it. The only way I would know is if I make it abroad as a model. I went to Hong Kong and then to London. Those were tough times. You were not so easily accepted if you were not blonde-haired and blue-eyed. I was shortlisted for a Versace campaign and they asked me if I am willing to do nudes. I said no because I don’t want my mom to faint when she sees the catalogue! (laughs) They wanted me to cut my long hair and I was okay with that but my agent rejected it on my behalf without asking me. There were setbacks like that.
I went to New York after that. Nothing much was happening. I had two dollars left in my pocket and I decided to come back to India. I needed ten dollars to get to the airport. I asked a friend of mine for the money and he, in turn, asked me if I liked dogs! I said ‘not really’ and he said, ‘no, you like dogs’. I just agreed. He called somebody who was leaving for Croatia and needed someone to look after her dog. She gave me 200 dollars a week and let me stay in her apartment. So, I took on this challenge and ended up staying at the apartment. The dog’s name was Milo and we would hang out together and Milo and I ended up becoming best friends (smiles). In the meantime, I went for some castings and by the end of the week, I had landed Hugo Boss. I made 30,000 dollars and came back to India. By then, I was bored of modeling and fashion.
UNLEARNING AND STARTING AFRESH
Modeling can become very look-oriented. It’s all in the moment. When I turned towards movies and saw the rushes of Moksha, the first film I shot for, I thought I was horrible. I wondered why I looked so camera conscious even after so much experience of being in front of the camera as a model. That’s the difference between modeling and acting. In modeling, you are very aware of where the camera is, whereas, in acting, you have to forget all about 
it. You have to be in the moment, deal with that emotion and be uninhibited. I had to unlearn everything and go back to the drawing board, but then I realized that’s life. Things change, times change and you also have to adapt to the times. Life is all about being active and constantly doing something and doing it with all your heart. That’s the attitude I had when I was modeling and that’s the attitude I have now as an actor. Just enjoy the process and forget about the rest.
FASHION EVOLUTION
STYLE SUTRA: My sense of style is much more casual now. I enjoy wearing comfortable clothing. I can’t wear cool shoes or clothes if I am not comfortable in them.
SHOPPING MADE EASY: The only time I call a stylist is when I realize my clothes have not been laundered (laughs). If I like some clothes or accessories that the stylist gives me, I buy them and it becomes a part of my wardrobe. It’s an easier way to do shopping.
GROOMING GUIDE: I think good hygiene is really important. I take a lot of showers – that way you stay fresh for hours and can put in a lot more hours at work.
20 YEARS OF MOVIES
There will always be spurts of growth, but you have to keep striving and growing. If you are not open to change, you will not have a long shelf life. Acting is such a wonderful profession. You can keep exploring and keep diving deep within yourself. To find motivation, life itself takes you away from it and then you come back to it with that much experience and you bring that to your work. That’s my process. There were times I did not have a single film and other times, a pile of films that I didn’t want to do, and then, a pile of scripts and I wanted to do them all. Patience is really the key in this profession. Luckily, I am in a space where people come to me knowing this is what we can go to him with. People who I have worked with come back and want to make different kinds of projects with me.
Recently, I shot for the film Dhakad and I think we have achieved something special with that character. Then I have Aparna Sen’s The Rapist and it has been incredible to see her process. I’m doing a period film called Bhima Koregaon which is a beautiful story. There is a film with Abbas Mustan called Penthouse where I reunited with my dear friend Bobby Deol after so many years. It’s been great to work with friends, with new talent and now there is so much to look forward to.
RAPID FIRE
Favourite travel destination: New York
All-time favourite designer: Rohit Bal
At home, you like to wear… T-shirt and shorts
Current favourite perfume: French Lover by Pierre Bourdon
Movie where you thought you looked good: Ek Ajnabee
Celebrity whose sense of style you admire: Brad Pitt
Your kind of music: I love all kinds of music, especially electronic and blues.
Can you cook? No, but I can appreciate good cooking.
Words: Deepali Singh
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