With his chiseled features, model-turned-actor Arjun Rampal could have had his pick of Bollywood romances but the 40-year-old has opted for offbeat roles in recent years.

Rampal played a variety of characters after winning a National Award for the 2008 hit Rock On, ranging from a man accused of workplace harassment to the scion of a political family. In his latest film, he plays a man who is part of a social revolution in India.

Rampal spoke to Reuters about his association with filmmaker Prakash Jha and whether the kind of revolution shown in Satyagraha can make a difference in real life.

Q: Could you describe the rapport between you and Prakash Jha? You've acted in most of his recent films.

A: He hardly meets me (laughs). We don't hang out that much, but we speak a lot on the phone. It's strange, but he always sees me in a different light. I signed "Raajneeti" five years before the film got made. He always says 'I need to tap into you' and that there is potential there which he sees.

He always asks me why I don't do those kind of films. That was his bone to pick with me when I started off. He gave me Raajneeti which instilled a lot of confidence within me. He gave me Chakravyuh and when we were shooting for that, he told me there might be a small part for me in Satyagraha. I told him even if there were two lines, I'd come because I really enjoy his affection, his love, the way he works.

From a small part, it became a big role. I sat with him and we discussed it and my fear was that it shouldn't have any similarities with Prithvi's character in Raajneeti. But it wasn't. He completely turned it around.