Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Now Arjun wields a cane

Although the cane that Arjun Rampal’s character wields in Don makes his handicap apparent, it also serves as a weapon for him.

The limping ex-convict Jasjit, played by Pran in the original Don (1978), was a tough and emotional character. Now, Arjun Rampal reprises the role in Farhan Akhtar’s Don which releases this Friday.

Rampal says the toughest part of playing Jasjit was to maintain his limp. To get under the skin of his character, Rampal tried keeping the limp even when he was not shooting on the sets. This, Rampal says, took a toll on his legs.

But despite the limp, Rampal’s character is shown very tough in the film. Although he walks with a cane, he uses the same cane in fighting the baddies when needed.

To learn to fight with a cane, Rampal underwent a special martial arts training under the Shaolin Temple expert known as Kanishk.

Arjun says the action and stunts in the film are very realistic and not over the top. There won’t be any gravity-defying stunts but stylish fights that are believable.

After a completely marginalized role in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Rampal hopes his performance in Don will boost his career.

Meanwhile, Rampal has ventured into film production with his movie I See You. The theatrical promos of the film will be shown before the Don screenings.