Arjun Rampal On His Painful Separation & Return With A Riveting Webseries

What a grand  comeback it is  for  Arjun Rampal! The webseries The Final Call on Zee5 features  the  understated, underrated actor as a pilot on a suicide mission.

“It’s something I had never done before,someone  I   had  never  played before.  The Final Call is my introduction to the web format, and  I’d would have done this  story in any format. It gives me a  chance to play a character with  so many shades,and all expressed as  I   sit  in the cockpit of  an  aircraft,” says Arjun.

They shot  parts  of the series in the same cockpit set as the  Oscar-winning Tom Hanks airborne  thriller Sully, and Arjun is rightly proud of it.  “There is no compromising on quality, no cutting down on costs  just because the format lends itself to a more casual viewing. You can’t take  homeviewers  for granted. We  shot  the series  in  Kashmir and London. We  did everything required to ensure that full justice  was  done to the  plot.”

Arjun says he is  very happy with the  end-result.  “Apart from a plot that combines spiritualism  with  the thriller  format for the first time, I get to play a clinically depressed  character.We  don’t really understand what depression is. It is not an issue that  is addressed  in our films. Also, I play an airforce pilot. When  you are up there  in  the  sky it can get really really lonely.And you have flash decision that  can destroy your faith. Our cinema  only romanticizes  the  pilot’s  life.This  is where the webseries comes  in. It gives  us the freedom  to explore themes which would  otherwise be ignored  or neglected.”

In real life too Arjun has enough reason  to  be depressed  . But he has sailed  through the crisis.

Says  the  actor softly, “I lost my mother. I went through  a separation(with wife). It has been  a   difficult time.  But now I am in a  peaceful space.”

Arjun admits that the  personal problems impinged on his work. “I can’t deny that  it did affect my work.I’ve been  too busy sorting out my personal problems  to focus on my film projects.But now  I am  back on track. Acting is what  I do. When I  am  in front of the camera I am  the happiest. I love  to be in front of  the camera.”

Arjun now has  two feature films lined  up. “I am about to start shooting for a horror thriller which  I can’t talk about until an official announcement is made. Before this  year is over I am also doing an action-thriller.  Feature  films always be my first priority. But I can’t ignore  the  exciting new format.The Last  Call is my first visit to the  world of the web.And it has been a very satisfying experience.”