Exclusive! Arjun Rampal: Voot has already sanctioned London Files season 2 and want season 3 too

Arjun Rampal-Purab Kohli’s web series London Files is out on Voot now. The series has been receiving a good response from all corners and ahead of that, Arjun has confirmed that the OTT platform has already sanctioned season 2 and wants season 3 too. While talking to OTTplay exclusively, Arjun also spoke about certain aspects of the show being similar to recent releases like Abhay 3 and Money Heist and if the title itself is adapted from The Kashmir Files.

Excerpts from the interview…

First, the obvious question. What's up with the title? Was it inspired from The Kashmir Files after the success of the film?

(Laughs) Everybody is actually asking that. They are assuming we called it London Files because The Kashmir Files has done so well but that’s not the case. The show was actually supposed to be called The Return. I had gone to London to do the show and would write #TheReturn from the locations and sets. Unfortunately, our producer didn’t get that since the rights were with another producer. The other option for this show was London Files.

Kashmir Files came and I knew that this question would come up. I told my director and he asked me to not worry much since The Kashmir Files also received a lot of love, so why not? So, it’s London Files now.

There are a lot of things happening with your series. There's divorce, some mystery and there's this cult. Now, we have seen cult very, very often. More recently, we saw it in Abhay 3. So, what's up with the cult here?

Om Singh (my character) is also trying to figure that out only (giggles). When you talk about cult, it is a group of like-minded people who have decided to break all the norms and behaviour patterns of society. They are rebels with a cause. They have a goal. There is a leader who explains to you why you have to do things. There’s a spiritual, philosophical and humane angle to it. It is very believable and justified for people of the cult to believe that their way is the right way. It’s almost like brainwashing. It’s our belief system and it comes from that. It is what makes the cult so dangerous – when you’re up against a cult. Maybe the cult is absolutely right and we are the people who are wrong. Who are we to say that? Their thought processes are very realistic and pragmatic. It’s not that they unrealistic about things. However, they can easily be brainwashed. Are they being brainwashed? Is Om Singh wrong to come down to the cult or does he discover something new about himself through the cult? People will go through all of these questions while watching the show.

Also, like I mentioned, there are many topics and things going on and so, how will the series grip the audiences? Did that question come to your mind at any given point of time?

No, I thought the audiences will be gripped because the show has an emotional grip. Not just my character but every is gripping. If you are emotionally invested, creating the thrills and more, is not that difficult – from shooting or story-telling perspective. To invest with the characters is difficult and you reach that point when your emotional graph is correct. The situation here is very interesting. We have been through the pandemic. You have seen how countries changed. It has become difficult to travel now. It became difficult even state-wise. Imagine going to another country! This show talks about migrants. There’s an anti-immigration bill coming which a migrant is only responsible for chalking down. It takes away the rights of these people. Some people migrate to London and take their citizenship. They pay their taxes, abide by the laws and rules of that place but suddenly, if the government changes the rules for them, imagine what would happen? Just recently, there are riots going on in, I guess Sweden, because the bill has been passed there. How borders are playing different games with each other, is the crux of the show. There are bills being passed and it causes unrest in London, Britain.

Has the series delved into explaining why is a migrant passing on this bill? Will we see that as well?

That is manipulated by the people of the country. If you are the one talking about your own people, it will be easier (for the original citizens of Britain), right? That’s the political call of it.

You told me about London Files being an emotional journey but there is also a psychological angle to it. So, do you agree that the show could be tagged as a psychological thriller too?

It’s not psychological thriller but a thriller in the sense of a detective, investigation, case, case study and doing all of that. Psychological will be in more play with Om. You could touch the psychological level in the show.

Since I remember that you have explored psychological thrillers in films, so it could be your attempt at exploring the genre on web too?

No, I didn’t think like that. I liked the story and character. He’s a very complicated character so it is challenging to play him. I thought it would be interesting to do.

This is not your first time on OTT. You've been a part of The Final Call which is almost completely different to this one and you are recognized because of that series. Do you believe that will change after London Files release?

I hope so (giggles). It’s a beautiful show. I hope it gets a lot of traction. Voot has already sanctioned season 2 and want season 3 because the first season of London Files really sets up Om as a detective. Let’s see.

This is also the series where you collaborate with you Rock On!! co-star Purab Kohli. I think I saw an instant connect but you tell me about what it was like.

I have done two Rock On(s) with him – 1 and 2. During Rock On!! 2, Purab was very clear that he wanted to leave India or at least switch between here and London for six months. He was sure about searching for an agent and trying to get work there and do films there. I thought it was a really bad idea because he has a good career here. He went ahead with it and I’m glad he did it. When he landed in Mumbai, he came straight to meet me. We had a reading together for our show and we spoke and went out for dinner. He told me everything that has been going on in his life. He’s done so well and has some wonderful work there. He got a small part in The Matrix which he was excited to do. He told me about how professional people are out there. He spoke like a little child – so excited. What’s happened with him by making the shift there is that he has really grown as an actor. He has become a wonderful actor and it’s fantastic how he played the character of Amar Roy. When you both know each other and understand the roles well, it just happened with the snap of a finger. We have got very special scenes on the show. I was very happy about that.

So, I also happened to watch London Files. Now again, I don't know if this is just my perspective but did you guys try to recreate a Money Heist moment there in the last episode? I mean, as much as it was intriguing, I couldn't help but wonder if that's what it was. What would you say?

It isn’t Money Heist. You see the connection between Gopi, Amar Roy and Sara Jones. They were connected at some point of time in their lives. These guys joined the government and Gopi was left out. This is Gopi’s way of getting back at them. The series is open-ended. This isn’t Money Heist. Cults start with a good intent 90% of the times. They show you all the problems that happen within the society and system and tell you to do it with peace and you go down, doing that. Finally, they resort to violence. The generation even today has a conspiracy theory on everything. With social media and everything, the truth almost always gets distorted. Gopi has done that with these kids.