Randeep Hooda Biography – an Indian Actor and Son of a Medical Surgeon

Randeep Hooda (born 20 August 1976) is an Indian actor known for his work predominantly in Hindi cinema and a few English films. Hooda made his Hindi film debut with Monsoon Wedding. He had a turning point in his career with the gangster film Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010) and gained critical acclaim for starring in Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster (2011), Rang Rasiya (2014), Highway (2014) and Sarbjit (2016).

He is also known for appearing in the successful films Jannat 2 (2012), Jism 2 (2012), Cocktail (2012), Kick (2014), Sultan (2016), and Baaghi 2 (2018). In 2020, he made his Hollywood debut with Extraction.

In addition to his film career, Hooda has acted in numerous stage plays and made his debut as a playwright with an adaptation of Lee Blessing’s A Walk in the Woods. He is also a professional equestrian who regularly participates in polo, show jumping, and dressage events. He won a silver medal at an open dressage event in New Delhi that was organized by the Equestrian Federation of India.

Early life and background (Randeep Hooda Biography)

Hooda was born on 20 August 1976, in Rohtak, Haryana to Dr. Ranbir Hooda and Asha Hooda, in a Hindu family. His father is a medical surgeon and his mother is a social worker. He spent most of his childhood with his grandmother in their hometown as his parents traveled extensively, and resided in the Middle East for the most part. He has an elder sister, Anjali Hooda Sangwan, a medical (MBBS, MD) doctor trained in India and in the United States, and a younger brother Sandeep Hooda, a Software Engineer working in Singapore.

He was educated at Motilal Nehru School of Sports (MNSS), a boarding school in Rai, Haryana, where he participated in swimming and equestrian sports and won medals at the national level. Hooda later developed an interest in theatre and participated in school productions, one of which he directed. In an interview with Rediff.com, he said he enjoyed appearing in front of people. However, his family wanted him to become a doctor and he was transferred to Delhi Public School, R. K. Puram in New Delhi. Hooda described the transition from an environment in which he was popular to one in which he was known as “difficult”.

After completing his schooling, Hooda moved to Melbourne, Australia, in 1995, where he studied for a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in business management and human resource management. During that period, he worked in a Chinese restaurant, a car wash, as a waiter, and for two years as a taxi driver. In 2000, Hooda returned to India and worked in the marketing department of an airline. He subsequently started modeling and working in amateur theatre in Delhi. While rehearsing for the play To Teach His Own, director Mira Nair approached Hooda to audition for a role in her upcoming film. Besides films, Randeep Hooda came into the limelight because of his relationship with Sushmita Sen, with whom he eventually broke up.

Film career (Randeep Hooda Biography)

2001–09: Debut and struggle

Hooda made his acting debut in Mira Nair’s film Monsoon Wedding (2001), playing a non-resident Indian from Australia. Although the film was a critical and commercial success, Hooda waited four years for a second project. In the meantime, he worked in theatre and appeared in television commercials to support himself financially. He also attended and assisted in an imagination and improvisation workshop conducted by Naseeruddin Shah at the National School of Drama in New Delhi.

In 2005, Hooda was cast as the male lead in Ram Gopal Varma‘s gangster film D. His performance in the film received positive reviews; Taran Adarsh wrote, “D wouldn’t be what it is without Randeep. He changes his expressions like a chameleon changes colors and that’s where he scores.” After D, Hooda appeared in a series of critically and commercially unsuccessful films including Darna Zaroori Hai (2006), Risk (2007), Ru Ba Ru (2008), and Love Khichdi (2009).

2010–16: Breakthrough and critical acclaim

The year 2010 marked a significant turning point in Hooda’s career; he appeared in Milan Luthria‘s Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, a period action drama depicting the rise of organized crime in Mumbai. Co-starring alongside Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut, and Prachi Desai, Hooda played a police officer in the film. His performance in the film was variously appreciated by critics. Sudish Kamath of The Hindu compared his screen presence to that of Amitabh Bachchan and wrote that despite his limited screen time, “[he] chews the scenery around him with […] his baritone firing away dialogue as if he were born to play this role.” Film critic Komal Nahta described him as a “revelation” in his own right. The film was a critical and commercial success, earning over ₹780 million (US$9.8 million) in India. Hooda too attributed his subsequent success to the film saying that his professional prospects really changed after the role. He had been on sabbatical from acting prior to the role and noted that it, “brought me back in a big way. Now other directors and production houses look at me as an actor who can carry bigger parts and a longer screen presence.”

Hooda’s final film of the year was Madhur Bhandarkar‘s drama Heroine, starring Kareena Kapoor, in which he played cricketer Angad Paul. Before the start of principal photography, Arunoday Singh was chosen for the role but was dropped for unknown reasons. Media reports began speculating about several actors (such as Ranbir Kapoor, Imran Khan, and Prateik Babbar), although Bhandarkar later confirmed that he selected Hooda after seeing his performance in Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster (2011). The film received mixed to negative reviews, but Hooda’s performance was appreciated by the critics. Kanika Sikka of Daily News and Analysis wrote, “Randeep, as usual, does justice to his role.” The film fared poorly at the domestic and international box office.

In 2014, Hooda appeared opposite Alia Bhatt in Imtiaz Ali’s Highway. To get used to his character, who had a distant relationship with Bhatt’s character, he avoided speaking to her for about 25 days. Parmita Uniyal for Hindustan Times praising Hooda’s “nuanced yet controlled” performance wrote that he lent, “authenticity to his character”. He then starred in Sajid Nadiadwala‘s action film Kick, co-starring Salman Khan and Jacqueline Fernandez. The film emerged as one of Bollywood’s biggest blockbusters of 2014, with a total revenue of ₹4.2 billion (US$53 million). Hooda’s last release for the year was the Emraan Hashmi and Kangana Ranaut starrer Ungli. The film focused on both a commercial failure and was panned by critics. Emphasizing the firm’s potential Mid-Day critic Shubha Shetty Saha said the film would have been “wonderful” had it not been for its “downright idiotic” dialogue. In 2015, Hooda portrayed the serial killer Charles Sobhraj in Prawaal Raman’s, Main Aur Charles. It was told from the perspective of Amod Kanth, the cop who handled his case, and was also based on his 1986 jail escape. The film was released in India on 31 October 2015 with a mostly positive response from critics.

In 2016, Hooda starred in four films, the first one was the drama thriller Laal Rang, based around illegal blood selling. The film was a box office failure and received a lukewarm response from critics. Hooda’s performance was highlighted as the only bright spot in the film. Omung Kumar’s biographical drama Sarbjit was his next release, where he portrayed the role of Sarabjit Singh, who was captured by Pakistan and later sentenced to death by their Supreme Court for alleged terrorism. Hooda lost eighteen kg of weight in 28 days for the preparation of the role. The film premiered at the 69th Cannes Film Festival and received mixed reactions from critics. Anupama Chopra called Hooda “terrific”. Sarbjit proved to be a box-office success. Hooda’s next release was Deepak Tijori’s Do Lafzon Ki Kahani alongside Kajal Aggarwal. A remake of the 2011 Korean film Always, the film was a critical and commercial failure. His final release in 2016 was the sports drama, Sultan, co-starring Salman Khan and Anushka Sharma, where he played the coach of Sultan. With earnings of over ₹5 billion (US$63 million) worldwide, it ranks among Indian cinema’s biggest grossers.

2017–present: Baaghi 2 and Beyond

Hooda played a supporting role in the 2018 action film Baaghi 2 after a gap of two years. He was working on a film based on the Battle of Saragarhi, but the project was ultimately dropped after being stuck in development hell for over three years.

Hooda made his Hollywood debut with the American action-thriller film Extraction (2020) starring along with Chris Hemsworth and Goldshifteh Farahani. The film was released on 24 April 2020. Netflix estimated the film will be watched by 90 million viewers in the first month of release.

Hooda played the main antagonist in Radhe (2021). The film received negative reviews from critics alike. He starred in the Netflix series, CAT (2022). Hooda received critical acclaim for his role. He is next to be seen in the satirical drama, Unfair & Lovely (2023) and Swatantra Veer Savarkar (2023), based on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

Other works (Randeep Hooda Biography)

Theatre

Hooda has been associated with theatre since the beginning of his acting career; he is an active member of Naseeruddin Shah‘s Motley Theatre Troupe. In an interview with Daily News and Analysis, he said, “My first stint with theatre was in school, where I was asked to wear a lion mask and roar for several minutes. My parents came to see me with a lot of expectations and sadly, they couldn’t even recognize me on stage because of the mask.”” During his film career, Hooda has participated in theatrical productions. He said, “Juggling between the two [theatre and films] does get difficult, but I don’t see myself ever giving up Theatre. It’s got a deeper connection with who I really am. So, if films give you the wings to fly, Theatre is a reality check, it keeps you grounded. Films can give you the satisfaction of feeling like a hero, but theatre gives you the real satisfaction of being an actor.”

Hooda has appeared in Kali Shalwar Aur Kuchchh Kahaniyan (a play based on Saadat Hasan Manto’s short stories), To Teach His Own, and Arms and The Man. He described the latter as a typical George Bernard Shaw play; “It is complete with elements to entertain an audience. It delves into true love, heroism, and some confused relationships that are pretty baffling even in the current social structure.” Hooda made his theatrical debut as a writer, adapting Lee Blessing’s A Walk in the Woods into an Indian context. Ratna Pathak directed the play and Naseerudin Shah appeared in it.

Equestrian sports

Hooda is the only Bollywood actor who regularly participates in professional equestrian sports, including polo and show jumping. He started competing at a professional level after the release of his film D. Hooda was coached by Colonel SS Ahalawat and Brigadier Bishnoi in show-jumping and dressage. He described riding as his “passion”; “My first stint with horses happened when I was in class eight at the Motilal Nehru School of Sports in Haryana, but thereafter I didn’t ride horses for 17 years”. He owned eight horses but gave away two of them to new trainees. He keeps his horses at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse in Mumbai.

In December 2008, Hooda underwent surgery after suffering a severe ankle injury in a fall from his horse during a polo match in Mumbai. The following year, he won a silver medal at an open dressage event organized by the Equestrian Federation of India in Delhi. Hooda has also won medals at equestrian events in Mumbai and Delhi, where he participated with riders from the Indian Army. In 2014, Hooda won seven medals, including three gold and two silver and bronze medals respectively, at the National Equestrian Championship in dressage and show-jumping events. Additionally, he has won a silver medal each at the Delhi Horse Show, in 2009 and the Bombay Horse Show, in 2011.

Journalism

In 2009, Hooda was a guest contributor to “In The Script”, a column published by Asian Correspondent. His article titled “Racism against Indians in Australia …” discussed the violence against Indians in Australia controversy. Hooda wrote about his experience in Australia, where he was subjected to racial discrimination; he said, “My experiences were not in my mind incidents of racial discrimination but more a challenge of an individual assertion of mental and physical superiority”. In conclusion, he wrote, “The point is to get tough inside out, play a sport apart from cricket, have heart and stand up in unity and say ‘we’ll not take a shit’. All it needs is a few pioneers and I’m proud to say that I tried [and will continue to do so] and I hope a few others do that too.” In 2011, Hooda began writing a blog for Hindustan Times.

Social activism

In September 2010, Hooda and Jackky Bhagnani appeared in a charity fashion show for Khushi, Kapil Dev’s NGO to improve poor communities in India. The following year, Hooda raised public awareness of chronic hunger in India. He presented a video to the cast and crew of Jism 2, who shared it on their social media accounts. In December 2012, Hooda participated in an anti-suicide initiative with Imtiaz Ali, Rahul Bose, Mahesh Bhupati, and Nishikant Kamath. Hooda, who had failed Class 12, said, “Don’t accept defeat. Fight back against adversities. Failure is a myth. Every experience is just fodder for the future. Suicide doesn’t solve the problem, It ends you.”

Media image and personal life (Randeep Hooda Biography)

Apart from his reputation as an intense actor, Hooda is considered one of India’s most attractive celebrities. In 2010, he ranked 21st in The Times of India‘s annual list of the 50 most desirable men. In 2011, a global online survey conducted by Internet Movie Database (IMDb) ranked him seventh on its list of the “20 sexiest men in the world”. Although he was surprised and grateful, Hooda said he is not influenced by such labels; “I want people to know me for my body of work, than just my body … Being sexy can always just be an added advantage, not the be-all and end-all for an actor”. During an interview with Mid-Day, he said during his early years in the industry, people saw him as an “explosive Jat boy” who had a calculated approach to his work. He said, “Now, I’m a bit more careful. I’ve changed the way I express myself”.

Hooda lived in a hostel from a young age; he said, “I’ve always had a good time, it’s something that gives me my spirit and fuels my spirit as well. Now, I want my parents to live with me, I want to enjoy their company more.” He said he had a good relationship with his parents, who live in Faridabad, and that their openness to everything has helped him in life. He considers Naseeruddin Shah to be his “mentor, friend and confidant”, saying, “He’s an inspiration and somebody who has helped nurture me as an actor not necessarily my career but my craft. He’s also the one who opened my eyes to the world of acting.”

Hooda had a relationship with former Miss Universe and actress Sushmita Sen from 2004 to 2006. He later said ending their relationship changed his career; “The break-up was the best thing that happened to me and I realized that I gave it too much time in my life. It freed my energy to do things for myself.”

Hooda owns a stray dog named Candy.

Filmography (Randeep Hooda Biography)

Films

As actor

Television

Accolades

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