Randeep Hooda

Biography

Randeep Hooda (pronounced [rəɳdiːp ɦʊɖːa]; born 20 August 1976) is an Indian actor, who works predominantly in Hindi cinema. Hooda is known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles. He made his Hindi film debut with Monsoon Wedding (2001). He had a turning point in his career with the gangster film Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010), and continued to gain attention with supporting roles in films such as Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster (2011), Jannat 2 (2012), Jism 2 (2012), Cocktail (2012), Heroine (2012) and Jaat (2025). Hooda starred in leading roles in several films, including Murder 3 (2013), John Day (2013) and Rang Rasiya (2014); for later, he was nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Actor. He received widespread critical acclaim for his performance in films such as Highway (2014), Main Aur Charles (2015) and Sarbjit (2016). Other notable films are Do Lafzon Ki Kahani (2016), his biggest hits Kick (2014) and Sultan (2016), and also the action film Baaghi 2 (2018). He has also starred in the American film Extraction (2020) and the television series CAT (2022).

== Early life and background == Hooda was born on 20 August 1976, in Rohtak, Haryana, India in a Haryanvi Jat family. His father Ranbir Singh Hooda, is a medical surgeon and his mother Asha Hooda, is a social worker. He spent most of his childhood with his grandmother in their hometown as his parents travelled 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 as a taxi driver for few years. During mid-2000, Hooda returned to India and worked in the marketing department of an airline. He subsequently started modelling 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. Hooda married Manipuri actress and model Lin Laishram in a traditional Manipuri Meitei wedding ceremony in November 2023.

== Film career ==

=== 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 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 colours 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).

=== 2010–18: 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 organised 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$8.1 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."

The following year, Hooda featured in Tigmanshu Dhulia's romantic thriller Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster with Jimmy Shergill and Mahie Gill. The film (and his portrayal of a gangster who falls in love with a married woman while working as her driver) earned rave reviews from critics. In an interview with Digital Spy, Hooda said "My inspiration for this character went back to my roots in Haryana, to the time I grew up and people I observed. My uncles were drivers and I thought of those times and people around me." Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India called him "absolutely mesmerising"; Gaurav Malani wrote, "Randeep Hooda plays the best character of his career so far and gets immense scope to show his performance prowess. The passion, obsession, emotions and expressions he brings to his character is simply outstanding."

Hooda's first film in 2012 was Kunal Deshmukh's crime thriller Jannat 2, a sequel to Jannat (2008). Jannat 2 received mixed reviews from critics and Hooda was praised for his performance. Taran Adarsh wrote, "the actor delivers yet another knockout performance. He dominates in several sequences, making you realize that if given an opportunity, the guy can steal the thunder from the best of actors." Sonia Chopra of Sify said, "Randeep Hooda is the best thing about the film." It was a commercial success and earned a domestic revenue of over ₹410 million (US$4.3 million). Hooda's next appearance was in Pooja Bhatt's erotic thriller Jism 2 opposite Sunny Leone. The film and Hooda's performance received mixed reviews from critics. Lisa Tsering of The Hollywood Reporter said Hooda "smoulders to the best of his ability in the role of a violent criminal". Rajeev Masand, who was less impressed by his performance, wrote, "The usually dependable Hooda, goes a little overboard with all the feeling; alternating clunkily between melancholic and hyper, Hooda constructs a wildly implausible character that inspires most of the unintended laughs in this film". Jism 2 was a moderate commercial success, earning ₹350 million (US$3.6 million) in India. 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 was fared poorly at the domestic and international box office.

In 2013, Hooda starred opposite Aditi Rao Hydari and Sara Loren in Vishesh Bhatt's Murder 3, an official remake of the 2011 Colombian thriller The Hidden Face. The film and his portrayal of Vikram (a fashion and wildlife photographer) garnered mixed to negative feedback from critics. A review from Mint said that Hooda "is hundreds of shades below his ability to enact a character." The film earned a worldwide gross of ₹250 million (US$2.6 million) in ten days and was an average grosser. Later that year, Hooda acted in Ketan Mehta's biographical period film Rang Rasiya, based on the life of the 19th-century Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma. The film earned him a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. Hooda also featured in the thriller John Day, alongside Naseeruddin Shah. He also appeared alongside Rani Mukerji and Saqib Saleem in a segment directed by Karan Johar for the anthology film Bombay Talkies. The film was made as a celebration of the 100th year of Indian cinema and was screened at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.