Happy Birthday Arjun Rampal: From 'Om Shanti Om' to 'Ra. One', here's why the actor shines in negative roles

​The entertainment industry has often made us root for the hero. However, nowadays, the leading men of the industry themselves try to challenge antagonists and the villain's characters. This reminds us of Arjun Rampal who brings a raw edge to his negative characters, making them memorable. While Arjun Rampal turned a year old today, here we bring the list of Rampal’s films where he shines in negative roles.

​Om Shanti Om was released in 2007 and recently completed 16 years. In the movie, Rampal played the wicked Mukesh Mehra. He had all the traits of the classic Bollywood villain from the 80s. 'Om Shanti Om' was directed and choreographed by Farah Khan. It stars Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone in lead roles while Shreyas Talpade, Arjun Rampal, and Kirron Kher play other important roles. Apart from this, many other Bollywood stars have played special roles in this film.

​Arjun Rampal played a villain in 'Dhaakad', released in the year 2022. He portrayed a character named Rudraveer (the arms and human trafficker). He comes from a place where everything has been snatched from him. Directed by Razneesh Ghai, it stars Kangana Ranaut, Arjun Rampal, Divya Dutta and Saswata Chatterjee.

In the 2017 film 'Daddy', Arjun Rampal played the role of a gangster turned politician. He looked like him, and he spoke like him. The actor adopts the guilty gangster with utmost ease. There are no frills to his performance as Arun Gawli. While the movie passed like a silent breeze at the box office, his performance was loud. Directed by Ashim Ahluwalia, it also stars Aishwarya Rajesh in the lead role.

The first time Arjun Rampal played a negative character was in the 2005 film 'Ek Ajnabee'. His flamboyant Captain Shekhar Verma shrewdly plays everyone along until it is revealed that it is he who is the mastermind. With Amitabh Bachchan as the protagonist, Rampal also grabbed everyone's attention with his negative role. 'Ek Ajnabee' is a Bollywood remake of Tony Scott's 2004 film 'Man on Fire'. It was directed by Apoorva Lakhia.

​In 'Ra. One', Arjun Rampal played the evil grey character. His physique and the stunts he pulled made everyone admire evilness. He has shown the incredible range he possesses as a hero and as an anti-hero. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan in a dual role and Arjun Rampal as the titular antagonist, with Kareena Kapoor, Armaan Verma, Shahana Goswami, Tom Wu, Dalip Tahil and Satish Shah in supporting roles. Directed by Anubhav Sinha, it was released in 2011.