Interview: I was skeptical about Shraddha Kapoor's addition to Rock On 2, says Arjun Rampal

When Arjun Rampal made his debut with Pyar Ishq Aur Mohabbat in 2001, he was branded as a good looking ex model with limited acting abilities. But over the years, Arjun has honed his craft and worked with some very good directors to emerge as an accomplished actor who has even bagged the National Award for Rock On. The handsome hunk talks about his journey so far and his forthcoming films.

With Rock On 2, you have completed 15 years in Bollywood. Do you look back on your journey with happiness?

I am just happy I have survived (laughs) in this industry for 15 years. I should thank my stars that I keep getting good work that lets me continue doing what I love. It's nice to keep feeling different emotions; it keeps you young, alive, on your toes. I am very grateful to the film industry as it has given me so much. My journey depends on my next 15 years, which will again be a roller coaster ride.

Your last few films haven't done well at the box office. How do you tackle failure?

Imagine, the man who made the light bulb - Thomas Edison. Imagine how many bulbs he must have blown before he created a light. When he created the bulb nobody thought about the other bulbs but each and every bulb which blew up taught him how to make the light bulb. That's how it is -- every failure teaches you how to go closer towards your goal. The most important thing in life is to have a goal. In my case, I say that I want to be remembered for doing good quality cinema and I want to be known as a versatile actor. Yes, I have not chosen an easy path, I will have a lot of many failures but the ones that will be successful will be remembered.

Fortunately for you, now you have several films coming up.

I didn't do any films for a year because I didn't like any film which had come my way. Now there is Rock On 2 and Kaahani 2. I have not worked with Sujoy Ghosh before but I really liked what the film was trying to say, and the performance that I could bring to my character. The first Kaahani did really well and I hope the same holds true for this film. I am also doing a film called Daddy which is a biopic, and then there is Aankhen 2 which is an ensemble film.