Arjun Rampal to turn restaurateur

Arjun Rampal to turn restaurateur

Most people would've gone crazy if they had been shuttling between work, moving into a new house in Mumbai and opening a restaurant in Delhi. But Arjun Rampal is just plain happy. "This is indeed one of the best phases of my life," he said. "Everything seems perfect'we moved into our new house, a penthouse in Bandra, early this week. We're both decorating our house the way we want and at the pace we enjoy."

And his restaurant, Lap'which is opening its doors in posh Malcha Marg'has him smiling even more. Sandeep Khosla, of the famed Abu-Sandeep duo, is designing the restaurant'a collaboration with restaurateur A D Singh.

"I've been shuttling between the two cities, to oversee the work for the restaurant. It's a project close to my heart since I'm quite a foodie," says Rampal.

While in Mumbai, he frequents Singh's Olive, China House at the Grand Hyatt and Aurus in Juhu. The 36-year-old, however, chose Delhi for his pet project because that's where he spent his early years. "I know a lot of people there and, besides, I found a lovely space in the city, which is growing in terms of hospitality."

The restaurant, which is looking at an August opening, aims to create a benchmark in world cuisine while keeping the ambience casual and easy. "The ambience of an eatery plays a key role and is almost as important as the food one serves because it sets the pace of the evening and the meal for the guest," says Rampal.

Though Rampal has been around in Bollywood for some time, it was his intense character, Joe Mascarenhas, in Farhan Akhtar's Rock On!! that won him accolades and a slew of awards this year. Rampal hopes that with his forthcoming films'like Prakash Jha's Rajneeti, where he plays a character with political undertones, and Sajid Khan's Housefull, which will see him in a "comic role like never before"'he will continue his run at the awards.

This model-turned-actor's chiselled looks also bagged him an international commercial for Schweppes recently'opposite Hollywood diva Nicole Kidman. Shot in Udaipur's Lake Palace, his first international commercial did come as a surprise to him. "It's phenomenal and flattering [the ad, uploaded on youtube.com, has already got 400 million hits]," he says. "I'm really content with the way my life is shaping up'it's well-rounded and balanced. I hope I can stay focussed on my career and not disappoint anyone. Though my job is like a roller-coaster ride, I think the ups and downs have been worth it."

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