Arjun Rampal Wanted To Break His Guitar On Rock On Director's Head, Says 'He Had Doubts About My…'

Arjun Rampal recently revisited his film Rock On!! as it completed 15 years today. The actor shared that the film’s director Abhishek Kapoor was quite doubtful about him playing the role of Joseph Mascarenhas. He event revealed that, he wanted to break his guitar on Abhishk’s head.

While speaking to Hindustan Times about the same, Arjun revealed that Abhishek fondly known as Gattu ‘initially had doubts’ about his suitability for the role. “He came home, saw me, and said, ‘I don’t know yaar, you have to be good-looking to be Joe.’ I thought I was going to break my guitar on his head only.”

He further added, “I kind of gave him an impromptu audition then and there. I donned a moustache and shorts and we even did a couple of readings, after which he gave a nod. However, I don’t think he was that convinced, because he had a different kind of image of Joe in his mind. But, when we went on the set and I did a scene. He came into the van and hugged me to say, ‘You are my Joe’. And that was the moment.”

Arjun revealed that it was Farhan Akhtar who first approached him for the role. “I still remember the moment when Farhan (Akhtar; co-actor) and I first discussed the film. We had already done Don together, and then we met at the launch of his magazine in Jodhpur, and he approached me with the idea of a script centred around a rock band. He believed I’d be the perfect fit for one of the characters named Joe. He said he’d have (the director) get in touch with me. It was actually just a passing thing. But after reading the script he sent two days later, I was blown away. Joe’s character resonated with me deeply, and I immediately agreed to be a part of it,” he stared.

On a closing note, Rampal shared, “Rock On! created a unique bond among us. To this day, we call each other by our character names. Farhan is still Adi to me, and I’m Joe to him. Even after all these years, there’s a strong emotional connection that we share,” and also added, “I remember how learning to play the instruments and singing was one of the main criteria for the entire cast. While Farhan already played the guitar, Purab learned the drums, and I had to learn the guitar. We truly became musicians in the process.”