August 31, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): Arjun Rampal would be seen as a central protagonist in ‘We Are Family’, the official adaptation of ‘Stepmom’. Though the actor can’t help but sing praises of this Karan Johar production, he can’t forget the time when he almost skipped watching ‘Stepmom’. The story dates back to more than a decade when this tearjerker starring Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon had just released.

“I wasn’t too inclined to watch the film actually. It just wasn’t my type. I was young and melodrama was definitely out for me. I was planning to hang out with my friends one fine morning when my mom sat me down and asked me to watch ‘Stepmom’”, Arjun gets nostalgic as he remembers how emotionally charged his mom was once she was through watching the film for the first time.

“She wanted to watch it again and make sure that I give her company this time around”, smiles Arjun, “I wasn’t too keen but once I sat down for that, I was in tears in no time. It was a really moving experience as it taught me the value of having a family. There were so many messages as well.”

And what were they? “That hamaari zindagi mein itne saare petty issues hote hain and we give so much importance to them when actually we should be thinking about so much else that life has to offer to us”, Arjun gets emotional here, “One should not take things for granted and instead hold each other’s hands in times of crisis.”

No wonder, Karan Johar too shared similar emotions when the final cut of ‘We Are Family’ was ready.

“Karan said a very nice thing when he came out of the first screening. He said that audiences will cry when they would come out of theaters but that won’t be because they are depressed but because the characters are so refreshing and the treatment so heart - warming. You feel extremely good for the characters once the film ends”, concludes Arjun.

–Joginder Tuteja / Sampurn Wire