September 16, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): Inspired by his stint on stage doing Elvis Presley's 'Jailhouse Rock' in his new film, not to mention his role as a potential rock star in Rock On and galvanized by his daughters' enthusiasm for Arjun's live performances, the Rampal dude now plans to go on stage for a rock concert, hopefully with his Rock On team, if not then alone.

Says Arjun, "I do have a craving to go live. And after Rock On I can play the guitar. My fan following as a rock star has already started. My two daughters love me performing on the dining table."

Arjun Rampal couldn't be in a happier place. And we mean on top of his dining table in his livingroom where you will often find Arjun these days on his two daughters' demands. His daughters want him to perform 'Jailhouse Rock' for them. And he happily obliges.

"My parents were huge Elvis Presley fans. I grew up on Presley. So when I got a chance to dance to 'Jailhouse Rock' in my latest film I jumped at it," says Arjun.

Happily, so did Arjun's daughter. They now want Arjun to perform 'Jailhouse Rock' any time of the day. And wife Mehr is worried the dining table might give way.

Chortles Arjun, "Not to worry. It's a sturdy table. It's not going anywhere. I picked up a lot of my emotions in We Are Family from the way I behave with my daughters. I throw my daughters around, just like my screen daughters in We Are Family. And I do hose my daughters down, just like in the film.'

But it's Elvis Presley's 'Jailhouse Rock' which has Arjun's daughters all revved up. He can't wait to get on stage to do Rock On 2. Apparently Arjun has been urging the Rock On gang to do an encore. But Arjun realizes the script has to be cracked. "We're waiting for the right idea."

Arjun was very impressed with Siddharth Malhotra's clarity of thought regarding the remake of Stepmom. "In the original I thought the husband's character played by Ed Harris was very restricted and irresponsible. I remember I had seen Stepmom with my mom when it had released in 1998. I remember I didn't want to see it. I wanted to go for a football match."

Arjun dismisses talk of a rift with Shah Rukh Khan. "I don't know when we were fighting that we needed to patch up. I don't want to discuss my friendships. It's sad what people try to do to good relationships in this industry. I really don't care a damn what people say. I know where we stand. When we're working together we are going there as professional actors, not as opponents in a boxing ring. What I really admire about Shah Rukh is, he always looks at the larger picture. He contributes actively not only to his movies but also to the entertainment industry. The responsibility is tremendous."

Arjun refutes all talk of how Karan Johar has directed a part of Ra.1. "That is not true at all. Ra.1 is Shah Rukh's most ambitious project. He just wanted Karan to come to London and roll the camera for one shot. The film's director is Anubhav Sinha. And I think it's very wrong of people to say he is not."

There is no grievance about Kajol and Kareena being called the two heroes of We Are Family. Reasons Rampal, "The only hero at the end of the day is the film. The actors are participants. It is a good actor's responsibility to put aside his insecurities and work as team with the cast. Every actor should be good for a film to work."

-- Subhash K Jha / Sampurn Wire