LAP, Arjun says, has been designed by well-known architect Sandip Khosla with special touches by Gauri Khan, Rohit Bal, Tarun Tahiliani and Arjun himself. The tables that each one of them has designed have been named after them. In all, there are eleven tables with different names. Arjun said people can book these tables for weeks or months and feel the sense of ownership. He added that extra attention has been paid to the art on the walls. There are exclusively designed pieces of furniture and crystallised chandeliers by Swarovski. The restaurant property includes an exclusive members’ club and it offers the best of international music, cuisine and ambience. It is also very private so that people can feel free, he asserts. To his claim that women will be safe at LAP, Arjun nodded in affirmative and said, “I want women to feel safe at LAP. We have a special section in the restaurant for the ladies and there is high security and drop-home car facility for them. They can enjoy themselves completely. My restaurant will be a place which will provide privacy to its members and be exclusive.”

After the success of Rock On!! last year for which Arjun bagged awards, including the Screen award for Best Supporting Actor (Male), the actor had just one release - Fox - this year. The actor said, “Since I like to do one film at a time, I have had just one release this year. But in 2010, you will see a lot of me as I have Housefull, Rajneeti and Dharma Productions’ untitled film.”

The actor said that Fox got a mixed response. For the second time in his career he is playing a criminal lawyer, the first being Moksh. “I enjoyed doing Fox and Sunny Deol was great to work with,” he smiled.

Sajid Khan’s Housefull, Arjun says, is a crazy film. After Kambakkht Ishq, this is producer Sajid Nadiadwala’s next venture. Talking about Housefull, he says, “We were laughing all the time, right from the start of the shooting to the last day. Sajid Khan’s sense of humour hits you to the hilt. With Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Lara Dutta, Riteish Deshmukh, Boman Irani and producer Sajid Nadiadwala, it was like a house on fire. It was a mad experience and all of us had a lot of fun on the sets. The film looks great and it has some very good music.” This is Arjun’s second film with Deepika and when asked if the two would relive the Om Shanti Om experience again, the model-turned-actor laughed and said, “Hopefully, we should be lucky for each other this time again. Deepika is a sweet girl.” He had reportedly hurt his back while shooting for the film in London but the actor dismisses it saying, “Oh, I suffered a slip- ped disc while working out in the gym. I am on medication and will try to be more careful now.”

Arjun is now in an experimental mood and is presently in Bhopal working on Rajneeti, a serious film along with Ajay Devgan, Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor. He is quick to explain the reason for the transition. “I have known Prakash Jha for over four years. He had narrated the subject to me then as he wanted me in the film. After that there was no news. Out of the blue, some ten months back, he called and said, ‘We are doing that film and I need your dates’. I said, ‘Dude, that was long back, we need to discuss again’. That’s how it happened.” Rajneeti centres round contemporary electoral politics in India and a lot of research has gone into this realistic film, which has an interesting blend of the Mahabharat and also pays tribute to a couple of Indian films.

For Arjun, who is playing the role of a politician for the first time, this has been an enriching experience. He said that he now understands the emotions, their thought-process, their sense of responsibility and ego hassles. He has learnt what happens behind closed doors and what it takes to make things move. “All this has motivated me. And I have developed an interest in politics, especially after reading the detailed script of Rajneeti. It is very engrossing. This film has satisfied me as an actor. It is a good film and we want people to enjoy it,” he smiled. When asked if it was an exhausting experience, he laughed aloud saying, “Not while doing the film. That happens only when the film is to release.”

Arjun is also working in Dharma Productions’s next venture. For the first time, he will be working with Kajol and Kareena Kapoor in this untitled film that is a remake of Stepmom. He is looking forward to this film where he plays an intense role.

The supermodel was also in the news for many other reasons this year: shooting with Nicole Kidman, hurting the sentiments of Parsi folk when he stated in an interview he had visited a Parsi fire-temple as a kid and being the special invitee at the premiere of Hollywood actor Gerard Butler’s film The Ugly Truth in London. Ignoring the controversy that has now been resolved, Arjun spoke about Nicole and Gerard Butler. “Nicole is very sexy and a cool lady. I worked with her for four days. She is a good performer, who comes alive in front of the camera. It was my privilege to work with her in an ad. As for Gerard Butler, he is a buddy. I have known him for a long time and when he learnt that I was in London, he invited me for the premiere. We managed to catch up and chill out. He is a great guy. While I am still in touch with him, I have not spoken to Nicole after she left India.”