Exclusive: Arjun Rampal on Rana Naidu 2, embracing grey roles, real-life influences

India Today

01-07-2025

Actor Arjun Rampal joined the world of 'Rana Naidu 2' as the antagonist. He portrays Rana Daggubati's on-screen arch-nemesis Rauf Mirza in the Netflix crime-thriller. In an exclusive interview with IndiaToday.in, the 52-year-old spoke about playing dysfunctional, complex roles, admiration for real-life characters and authentic depiction of true events.The 'Rana Naidu 2' actor holds a nostalgic place for millennials as a quintessential Bollywood hero. While reflecting on portraying a ruthless gangster with political ambition in the Karan Anshuman directorial, he highlights the unpredictability of his character.advertisementRampal, on being asked about what contributed to his decision to say yes to 'Rana Naidu 2', while ensuring the series is unique from other crime shows, said, "When I watched 'Rana Naidu 1' also, what I liked about the show is that it's a dysfunctional family, a dysfunctional protagonist and all the characters are very complex and weird."
He further said, "The only way I would have done 'Rana Naidu 2' is if Rauf's character would also be dysfunctional and complex, which is what I enjoyed watching all those characters in Season 1. So, I enjoyed the way the story was being told and really liked the world of Rana Naidu. I thought it would be interesting to enter that world as Rauf.""Of course, it took a while for us to work on the character. Karan Anshuman, who is the creator of the show, sat with me," the actor went on.advertisement"We went back and forth quite a bit to make sure we draw a certain amount of unpredictability, complexity, humour, all of that into the character. I wanted people to enjoy watching him (Rauf) and not be too serious or boring," Rampal added.When asked how he comes to terms with the human side of a character like Rauf, especially when he himself doesn't identify with his actions, the actor said, "I don't think anybody is really good or bad. There are always two sides to a story, whoever you are playing, whether it is a good guy or a bad guy. Unfortunately, we end up saying, 'This is a protagonist or antagonist'."He further said, "I think when you just look at people as characters, then good characters can only be created only if they come from a strong belief system. I think once you find a good belief system, and the character comes from an honest place and has real emotions, then it becomes more relatable and more human."
Actor Arjun Rampal plays Rana Daggubati's on-screen rival Rauf in 'Rana Naidu 2'. (Credit: Instagram/netflix_in)
Rampal played the titular role in his home-production 'Daddy' based on the life of gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli. His character in 'Rana Naidu 2' is an antagonist who is loved and respected by the slum-dwellers of Mumbai. On being questioned about referring to any real-life character while prepping for Rauf's role, the actor said, "Obviously, when I was prepping for 'Daddy' there were a lot of people who I had met from the other side of the world. There is that memory of emotion."He further said, "There were many real-life characters whom I would have loved to put into the film, but I couldn't include everybody in it. But I do have memories of how they act and behave. They are very genuine and real people. They know that there is a bullet out there which has their name written on it.""They are living their life actually in the moment more than planning what is going to happen in the future. Because when they try to plan something, it is usually when everything actually goes wrong for them. That is what I wanted Rauf to be. Like he is just that guy who is right there." Rampal added.advertisementWatch Rana Naidu 2 trailer here: The first season of 'Rana Naidu' was known for its violent theme and visuals. However, Rauf's character, despite being brutal and rageful, is not shown to be offensive towards women. Even though he is a potential threat to society, his interactions with Rana's daughter Nitya (Afrah Sayed) are delicately depicted.Rampal, when asked if he also felt the need for sensitive handling of scenes, especially when it comes to showing violence against women on-screen, said, "I think it was more or less everyone's feeling on the show this time around. Because I know when 'Rana Naidu 1' came out, people found it (violence) a little too much."He further said, "But actually, it is a family show also about a complex, dysfunctional family. That is what drew me to the show in the first place. We wanted 'Rana Naidu 2' to be bigger, better and more open to a bigger audience.""So, it was not just my scenes with Nitya and what I felt about her, the show took a different tonality which is accessible to a wider audience, where maybe you can sit with your kids and watch the show," the actor added.
Actor Arjun Rampal shared his views on portraying complex, dysfunctional characters on-screen.
advertisementStreaming platforms have reshaped the entertainment landscape in recent years. Rampal, on being quizzed about whether he would be interested in exploring more stories in the digital space going forward, said, "I think it's a huge feather in the cap for the entertainment industry. We are all entertainers, storytellers who like to tell stories."He further said, "I am an actor telling the story of a director through a character. So, even if I was a producer or director, it's all part of the film business. It is also going to keep growing as a medium and keeps evolving every day into what the audiences want.""Today, the audiences have so much to choose from. So, it is very important to concentrate on good content. Anything ordinary, run-off-the-mill or stereotypical is not going to resonate with the audiences today," the actor went on.advertisement"OTT is there, and very much part of the industry. We shouldn't say, 'That's the film or television world or OTT world. Today all those lines are blurred. So many new actors and filmmakers have come into the industry. Because of platforms like these, people get to tell stories which maybe they would not get if they were just doing a film," Rampal added.
Actor Arjun Rampal will next be seen in Aditya Dhar's 'Dhurandhar'. (Credit: Instagram/rampal72)
Rampal's upcoming film 'The Battle of Bhima Koregaon' is a period drama, while he is also a part of Aditya Dhar's spy-thriller 'Dhurandhar' (2026) with Ranveer Singh. When asked if he had any apprehensions about being associated with films related to real-life events, since there could be sensitive themes in the storytelling, he said, "When you make a true story, the idea is to stick to the facts and come out with the truth."He further said, "If you try to blur the lines of that truth or fictionalise it and make it very one-dimensional in terms of storytelling, then those kinds of films become more or less like propaganda which has got just one point of view. For me, those are dangerous films. Bringing the truth out there and telling the truth to the audience is being brave as a filmmaker.""In the world today, the lines of what's real and what's not are so blurred. To get refreshing true stories which you can tell, be it mythological, historical, biographies, etc, it is important to get your facts checked and to do your research properly," he went on."That's exciting to me. I enjoy watching that kind of cinema and being a part of it. Yes, there is a certain amount of responsibility that comes into it. When you choose to do it then you are making sure that the filmmaker trying to tell the story is doing it in the right way," Rampal added.'Rana Naidu 2' also features Venkatesh Daggubati, Surveen Chawla, Abhishek Banerjee, Sushant Singh, Kriti Kharbanda, Dino Morea, Rajat Kapoor, Tanuj Virwani and others in pivotal characters.India Today, in its review of the show, while describing Rampal's performance, wrote, "Arjun Rampal as the ruthless antagonist, invokes his inner beast with one of his best performances. The actor brings a novelty to his character after playing a real-life gangster in 'Daddy' (2017)."'Rana Naidu 2' was released on Netflix on June 13.- EndsMust Watch