Happy Birthday Arjun Rampal!

Born on 26th November 1972, Arjun Rampal began his walk to fame as a model. He was a huge success on the ramp which made it easy for him to get a break in Bollywood. He turns 38 today

Arjun was still an undergraduate at Hindu College in Delhi when designer Rohit Bal spotted his star potential. Arjun soon became hot property on the catwalk

His first movie was Moksha which eventually released in 2001 after delays. His second movie, Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat, ended up hitting the theaters before his debut movie. Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat brought him a Fimfare nomination for Best Debut

As newbie actor he was lucky enough to have three movies in the same year - Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat, Moksha and Deewaanapan all released in 2001

But box office success eluded him, even though his performances were praised and he won the International Indian Film Academy's Face of the Year award

In 2002 his luck changed with multi-starrer thriller Aankhen starring Big B, Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal and Sushmita Sen. The movie was a hit.

But fame proved fickle and his next few films Dil Hai Tumhaara (2002), Yakeen (2005) and Ek Ajnabee (2005) were duds. He took a chance with an off-beat role in Tehzeeb, playing Urmila Matondkar's husband. He was also cast opposite Queen Bee Aishwarya Rai

Ek Ajnabee, a remake of Hollywood hit Man On Fire, was his first dark film. He stars opposite Amitabh Bachchan and his character turns out to be the villain of the piece

He experimented with various shades and characters but the box office remained unconquered. So he went back to his lover boy image in Humko Tumse Pyaar Hai. Again, luck was against him

In 2006 he was part of the ensemble cast of Ram Gopal Verma's horror flick Darna Zaroori Hai. No prizes for guessing how that ended

Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, touted as Karan Johar's coming-of-age film, featured Arjun Rampal in a guest appearance.

Things looked up for Arjun post the Karan Johar touch and he signed Farhan Akhtar's Don: The Chase Begins Again. He played the role originally portrayed by screen legend Pran

Then came Arjun's home production I See You, which bombed at the box office.

The dismal fate of his films didn't seem to affect his status as Bollywood hot property. Good roles kept coming his way, as with Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd in which he played the lover of a married woman.

And finally, Om Shanti Om brought with it box office gold. Arjun played the murderous Mukesh-Mike-Mehra and earned praised from all quarters

Amidst commercial successes and failures, his love for off beat movies remained intact. He earned accolades for his role in The Last Lear. His partner in crime in this one was Amitabh Bachchan, again

And in 2008 Arjun finally hit the jackpot with Rock On playing cool guitarist Joseph Mascarenhas

The mercury dipped a little with EMI and We Are Family, neither of which did well at the box office. But the recent success of Rajneeti has made Arjun one of the most sought-after stars in the film industry

Away from the stardust, Arjun Rampal enjoys a clean-living image. He dated designer Malini Ramani as a young model, but finally married fellow model Mehr Jessia.

It seems to be happily-ever-after for Arjun and Mehr who have two daughters - Mahikaa and Myra

We wish him a very happy birthday