It was Saturday night fever at Roots in Chowringhee on November 18. One could feel the energy right from the lower level because a certain Arjun Rampal was supposed to be manning the DJ console for the night. Yes! The Bollywood hot-bod and actor was on deck duties for the night as a part of Starry Night Light in association with t2 where he played a smashing set aided by cool visuals by Philip Gordon. Minutes before Arjun took over the stage, t2 caught up with the model-actor-DJ for a fun chat. Excerpts.
Hi Arjun! Welcome to Calcutta! You are coming here after long…
It’s really great to be back. After Covid-19, I think a lot of people were regrouping, a lot of film shoots were happening in parts of the world but unfortunately nothing brought me back to Calcutta. But I have got this gig here (Roots) and I am happy.
How do you remember Calcutta?
I love Calcutta, people here really know how to have a good time. Hospitality is absolutely fantastic and I have got a lot of friends here.
I love filmmakers from here, you know, I had done a film with Aparna Sen (The Rapist) and I think it’s one of the best films in my filmography. I am very proud of it.
We know Arjun the model, the actor… tell us about Arjun the DJ?
I do this as a hobby and I really enjoy doing so. Arjun the DJ is just somebody who likes to listen to a lot of music, has a great playlist and knows how to mix really well (laughs).
Since when did you take this up? Was it driven by passion or anyone inspired you to get behind the console?
Actually, I have always liked house music and I have been a big fan of that sound and even the films that I have done, I have always had that influence in the music… that I have produced. In I See You if you hear the soundtrack, which Vishal-Shekhar did.. or Daddy, you know, Zindagi meri dance dance, that track.... I have always tried to bring that sound in and promoted it. Making music is an extension of me and this is something I would like to share with my fans now.
You also had a nightclub called Lap…
The reason I opened a nightclub was because my family couldn’t stand me standing in the living room and playing on the deck (laughs) so I said let me just open a club for myself and I started to promote DJs and it’s wonderful to see so many DJs who came out of my club doing really well today.
Are you nervous when you play?
I’m actually a little nervous to go out there and play because it’s not something I do on an everyday basis. Then one needs to get used to all those different things (on the console) and you want to do it right…
What do you look forward to in a DJ when you go out to party?
Honestly, I hate partying and that’s one of the reasons I like to
go behind the decks, because you don’t have to talk to anybody. You just stand there and you play your own music and you can take people on a nice ride.
What makes a good DJ?
There are tremendous amount of great DJs out there like Solomun and Black Coffee, although he has gone commercial now but I do like his sound. I have had the privilege to speak to quite a lot of good DJs and I feel a really really good DJ plays for the audience and just not for himself because he is there for them. If the crowd is not getting it, you got to change and try to give them the best time.
Does that mean Arjun the DJ takes requests?
Some of them if they are good, you know, but some people come up with very lousy requests. But if someone comes and says do you have this track and I have it I will tell the person to hold on because it will come, but if I don’t have that track and if it’s a great track then I would request that person to quickly download it and give it to me! (Laughs)
That’s great because many DJs don’t entertain requests…
I remember once Tiesto had come down and he had gone to Hyderabad and nobody knew who he was. This is a story that I heard that people went up to him, requesting to play Telugu music! So, you see, sometimes people also can get ignorant.
Name five songs that’s topping our playlist at the moment.
There are none like that. All my tracks are amazing! (Smiles)
Any musician you would time travel for, to bring him/her back?
Ooh (thinks). Kishoreda (Kumar), Mohammed Rafi, I would love to meet Elvis Presley, love to meet Jim Morrison… so many of them.
If you have to go back to an era that had the best dance music what would that be?
I think the disco time, which was the 70s-80s… actually the 60s are also great. Actually, my playlist has Led Zeppelin to Pink Floyd to Leonard Cohen, I think he was a poet too. Then Bonny M, Abba and Elvis of course!
What draws you towards techno music?
I think you can build a really beautiful story and it concentrates a lot on beat, rhythm and melody, more than lyrics. It has so many layers, the beauty is you can play five tracks and every time the tracks will sound different.
(Top left) Kiss of love! With the crowd screaming “Love you Arjun”, he responded with a flying kiss. #Aww
(Bottom left) Wearing his fave party clothes — a pair of tracks, a cap and that dimpled smile, Arjun received a warm welcome from the crowd. A fist bump, some selfies, a quick jive — the Bollywood actor-DJ won hearts.
(Right) Arjun did the chill hand sign.
(From left) The crowd jived to tracks like Liquid Spirit, Aria, Heroes and Dance With Me.
Videos to selfies - party peeps captured the moment on their phone.
Sanyam Gupta (in white), artist manager of the event
ORGANISERS SPEAK:
“Having Arjun Rampal play as a DJ at Roots last Saturday was like hitting the jackpot! The vibes were electric, the beats were on point, and the crowd? Pure energy! The craze he had and the way he connected with the crowd was amazing. We are looking forward to doing more such gigs at Roots,” said Ramesh Agarwal, Jyoti Agarwal and Karnesh Sethia (not in the picture).
THEY LOVED...
(From left) Vanita Jaiswal looked pretty in pink in the bubblegum fluffy dress. She said, “Arjun Rampal kept the crowd fully entertained, spinning and scratching as a guest DJ at Roots. My friends and I had so much fun dancing and singing along to the popular beats.”
“We were lost in the techno beats of the concert. It was very surprising to watch Arjun Rampal doing something different apart from acting so well,” said Kashif Ansari. “His one-in-a-million sexy voice just swayed us away,” added sisters Anujaa (extreme left) and Ankita Dam.
“The best part was to see our childhood crush performing live. Arjun Rampal was fire.... We had an insane night,” screamed (l-r) Srimoyee Basu, Nirajeeta and Sritama Das.
(From left) “The night at Roots was nothing less than a dream come true as Arjun Rampal has been the style icon and heartthrob for every youngster since childhood. For those who were in attendance, it wasn’t just another musical event, it was a cathartic journey that left them spellbound. The concert was a surreal, emotional experience for fans, reaffirming the lasting influence of the iconic star in Calcutta,” said Rituparna Basak.
For Om Dhawan and Sneha Prasad it was an unforgettable night. “The event happened indoors but exuded a concert vibe. The crowd was happy, music was great and it overall had a good ambience. We had a fantastic time,” said Om.
Bling was the mantra for Aishwarya Roy Choudhury’s OOTN. “The event was fantastic, with great music and an incredible vibe. The highlight of the party was the atmosphere the artiste successfully cultivated among the crowd,” she said.
Additional reporting by Rohini Chakraborty
