Randeep Hooda

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.[9][14] In the meantime, he worked in theatre and appeared in television commercials to support himself financially.[15] He also attended and assisted an imagination and improvisation workshop conducted by Naseeruddin Shah at the National School of Drama in New Delhi.[9]

In 2005, Hooda was cast as the male lead in Ram Gopal Varma's gangster film D.[16] 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."[17] 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).[18][19]

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.[20] Co-starring alongside Ajay Devgan, Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut and Prachi Desai, Hooda played a police officer in the film.[21] His performance in the film was variously appreciated by critics.[22][23] 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."[24] Film critic Komal Nahta described him as a "revelation" in his own right.[25] The film was a critical and commercial success, earning over ₹780 million (US$11 million) in India.[26] 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."[27]

Hooda at the Lions Gold Awards, 2012

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."[27] Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India called him "absolutely mesmerising";[28] Garauv 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."[29]

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."[30] Sonia Chopra of Sify said, "Randeep Hooda is the best thing about the film."[31] It was a commercial success and earned a domestic revenue of over ₹410 million (US$5.7 million).[32] 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 "smolders to the best of his ability in the role of a violent criminal".[33] 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".[34] Jism 2 was a moderate commercial success, earning ₹350 million (US$4.9 million) in India.[35]

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.[36] Media reports began speculating about several actors (such as Ranbir Kapoor, Imran Khan and Prateik Babbar),[37] 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.[38] Kanika Sikka of Daily News and Analysis wrote, "Randeep, as usual does justice to his role."[39] The film was fared poorly at the domestic and international box office.[40]

Alia Bhatt and Hooda at the first look launch of Highway

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.[41] 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."[42] The film earned a worldwide gross of ₹250 million (US$3.5 million) in ten days and was an average grosser.[43] 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. 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.[44]

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.[45] Parmita Uniyal for Hindustan Times praising Hooda's "nuanced yet controlled" performance wrote that he lent, "authenticity to his character".[46] 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 the total revenue of ₹4.2 billion (US$59 million).[47] 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 on the fim's potential Mid Day critic Shubha Shetty Saha said the film would have been "wonderful" had it not been for its "downright idiotic" dialogue.[48] 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 to mostly positive response from critics.[49][50]

In 2016, Hooda starred in four films, the first one was the drama thriller Laal Rang, based around illegal blood selling.[51] 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.[52][53] 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.[54] The film premiered at the 69th Cannes Film Festival,[55] and received mixed reactions from critics.[56] Anupama Chopra called Hooda "terrific".[57] Sarbjit proved to be a box-office success.[58][59] 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.[60][61] His final release of 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$70 million) worldwide, it ranks among Indian cinema's biggest grossers.[62]

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.[63]

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 is appearing in Radhe a Salman Khan film and Unfair & Lovely opposite Ileana D'Cruz, a social satire on fad with fairness. Both the films are slated to be released in 2021.

Hooda at a Motley Theatre Group Meet

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.[64][65] 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 recognise me on stage because of the mask."[65] 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 give up Theatre. It's got a deeper connect 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."[66]

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."[65] 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.[67][68]

Hooda at the Raymond National and Junior National Equestrian Championship.[69]

Hooda is the only Bollywood actor who regularly participates in professional equestrian sports, including polo and show jumping.[70] He started competing at a professional level after the release of his film D.[71] Hooda was coached by Colonel SS Ahalawat and Brigadier Bishnoi in show-jumping and dressage.[72] 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".[72] He owned eight horses, but gave away two of them to new trainees.[73] He keeps his horses at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse in Mumbai.[74]

In December 2008, Hooda underwent surgery after suffering a severe ankle injury in a fall from his horse during a polo match in Mumbai.[75] The following year, he won a silver medal at an open dressage event organised by the Equestrian Federation of India in Delhi.[76] Hooda has also won medals at equestrian events in Mumbai and Delhi, where he participated with riders from the Indian Army.[77][78] 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.[71] Additionally, he has won a silver medal each at the Delhi Horse Show, in 2009 and the Bombay Horse Show, in 2011.[73][79]

In 2009, Hooda was a guest contributor to "In The Script", a column published by Asian Correspondent.[80] 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 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."[80] In 2011, Hooda began writing a blog for Hindustan Times.[81]

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.[82] 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.[83] 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 adversities. Failure is a myth. Every experience is a just fodder for the future. Suicide doesn't solve the problem, It ends you."[84]