Bollywood hunk Arjun Rampal has his hands full with Heroine, Inkaar and Chakravyuh. Besides, he will walk the Red Carpet at Cannes this year. The actor chats up with Sreya Basu in Mumbai on relationships, inspiration and the journey called life

You started off as a model. But even as an actor you keep coming back to the ramp. Is it only commerce or your love for it?
Life goes on and become a full circle ... whoever said that got it right. Friendship is something which is very, very important.

Relationships just happen...you don't know why you meet a person, you don't know why you love a person ... you don't know why you had to be at that place at that time when you met that person.

Later on, you realize when you meet that person...be it my friends Karan (Johar, filmmaker) and Gudda (Rohit Bal, fashion designer), or my wife (Mehr Jesia) ... you always start off where you left off. I don't want to lose track where I started from.

Who is your favourite designer?
Rohit Bal. I feel the best when I wear his clothes, I feel the best when I walk Rohit Bal's runway, I feel the best audience when I watch his show ... all these answer why I love him as a designer.

You are one actor who always encourages young talents...
Everybody has his own journey. It's not about the journey. When you reach somewhere, a place where you can let your hair down, enjoy and share ideas with like-minded and cool people, which could create more opportunities ... that becomes aspiration.

I think if any of us can be aspirational to somebody, you create a goal; and if you can create a goal, there will be people who can come and escort saying ‘Ho, if Arjun Rampal can do it why can't I?' Or, say ‘That guy used to play cricket but got out at zero runs.

At least I can score 10.' That's what I want to be and mean to do.

Is it true you wanted to be an athlete?
Yes, I wished I would run 400 metres for India. That's why even though my friends were drinking, I drank for the first time at an age of 21 and not before that as I was training to be an athlete.

Well, that didn't happen but I didn't touch a drink before my training was over. When I drank I thought ‘My God! Why is it taking so long (to get drunk)?' (Laughs)

Being such a health freak, is it is a good idea to endorse an alcohol brand?
A lot of people asked me, even I asked myself, whether I should endorse a brand like Chivas because I also represent health and fitness.

But at the end of the day, it all comes to one thing ... you should do everything in your life ... that's my philosophy. Whatever you want to do, you must do it but have no habits. And by habits, I also mean working out too much or being too strict about your diets. But you must do everything in life as life is all about experience.

You will walk the Red Carpet at Cannes for Chivas this year. Given a choice, which film will you take to the film festival?
Yes, I would love to. I think it's a film that deserves to be there (Cannes). So if Heroine can be showcased out there, it will be great. There is a Sudhir Mishra film as well Inkaar that I just completed, which is also perfect for Cannes. But at the end of the day, I think Chivas wants to take me to Cannes to represent an artist they signed from the country.