Tall,with rugged looks and a physique to match,Arjun Rampal was eager to do an action film,when he was approached by Nikhil Advani for D-Day. Rampal knew that the director was very good with emotions,relationships and technically very sound,but was apprehensive when he told him that the film was an espionage thriller. When Nikhil said he wanted to make a realistic thriller,I was a bit apprehensive because being realistic could be a completely different view point from mine. But when he started showing me references as to the kind of film he had in mind,I was attracted to the project, says the actor who plays a RAW agent in the film. D-Day is about a group of people trying to get Indias most-wanted man (apparently Dawood Ibrahim) sounded implausible,but Arjun remembered his driver telling him that if Osama Bin Laden could be caught,so why not Dawood? And something inside me clicked and I said wow! Thats the fantasy of some people and theres a great story. Rampals fascination with the concept increased,and added to the fact was Tom Struthers to come on board as the stunt director with Rishi Kapoor playing Indias most wanted man. When Nikhil told me that he had signed Struthers who has done action for 200 million dollars projects like The Dark Knight and Batman to do the action sequences,I wondered why he would want to work with us. I knew Nikhil was getting it right and that increased my confidence in the script. Getting Rishi Kapoor to play a cold-blooded and ruthless murderer shocked not only the actor but everyone in the team of D-Day. I mean Rishi Kapoor is the sweetest looking guy,but apparently Nikhil knew what he was doing. Actually,nobody knew what Rishiji was playing and what he would look like. The transformation was unimaginable,but then that was Nikhils vision. Slowly,whatever he had promised to us,including the locations fell into place, confesses the actor with a smile. The most interesting thing about the film he says,is that the action is very unlike what one would expect in an espionage thriller,in which the actor is shown as a superhero or superman,flying through walls or stopping a car with his foot,etc. The kind of combat he had conceptualised was put together by Struthers who together with his team trained us. He taught us things like how to hold a gun,to convert a simple newspaper and use it as a weapon. He explained how ordinary things could be turned into a weapon,and that you need not break a persons neck to immoblise him; breaking a finger would do the trick. Things that we would otherwise consider as innocuous were used,which made the action sequences that much more interesting to shoot. Now that the film is complete and ready for release,Rampal is awaiting the response of the audience. He has already got a favourable nod from his wife Mehr,Jessia who he said loved the film because of the emotional content and the story. Mehr is not fond of action films,but she loved D-Day because she was emotionally stirred by the story. In Prakash Jhas Satyagraha that releases on August 30,Rampal plays a local politician who has joined the movement. Mine is a very volatile character. The film talks about this movement,the conflicts within the team and the changing equations and interests. The mission takes a back seat and everything becomes murky,losing its aim in the process, explains the actor. Rampal has two more projects in his kitty. A film tentatively titled Villain,has him playing the lead role and Vicky Singhs Roy will see him in the role of a writer. This film takes off by the end of the year. But,till then Rampal waits with bated breath for D-Day to arrive.
