Swatantra Veer Savarka (pronounced [rəɳdiːp ɦʊɖːa]; born 20 August 1976) is an Indian actor, writer, producer, director and equestrian, known for his work predominantly in Hindi cinema and 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 also acted in Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster (2011), Rang Rasiya (2014), Highway (2014) and Sarbjit (2016).
He also appeared in the films Jannat 2 (2012), Jism 2 (2012), Cocktail (2012), Kick (2014), Sultan (2016), Baaghi 2 (2018).
Early life and background
Hooda was born on 20 August 1976, in Rohtak, Haryana in a Jat family. His father Ranbir Hooda, is a medical surgeon and his mother Asha Hooda, is a social worker.[3][1][4] He spent most of his childhood with his grandmother in their hometown as his parents travelled extensively, and resided in the Middle East for most part.[5] He has an elder sister, Anjali Hooda Sangwan, a medical (MBBS, MD) doctor trained in India and in the United States,[6][7][8] and a younger brother Sandeep Hooda, a Software Engineer working in Singapore.[9]
He was educated at Motilal Nehru School of Sports (MNSS), a boarding school in Rai, Haryana,[9] where he participated in swimming and equestrian sports and won medals at the national level.[10] 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.[10][11] Hooda described the transition from an environment in which he was popular to one in which he was known as "difficult".[10]
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.[10] During that period, he worked in a Chinese restaurant, a car wash, as a waiter and for two years as a taxi driver.[12] In 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.[13] While rehearsing for the play To Teach His Own, director Mira Nair approached Hooda to audition for a role in her upcoming film.[10][14] Besides films, Randeep Hooda came into the limelight because of his relationship with Sushmita Sen, with whom he eventually broke up.[15] Hooda married Manipuri actress and model Lin Laishram in a traditional Manipuri Meitei wedding ceremony in November 2023.[2][16]
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.[10][17] In the meantime, he worked in theatre and appeared in television commercials to support himself financially.[18] He also attended and assisted an imagination and improvisation workshop conducted by Naseeruddin Shah at the National School of Drama in New Delhi.[10]
In 2005, Hooda was cast as the male lead in Ram Gopal Varma's gangster film D.[19] 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."[20] 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).[21][22]
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 organised crime in Mumbai.[23] Co-starring alongside Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut and Prachi Desai, Hooda played a police officer in the film.[24] His performance in the film was variously appreciated by critics.[25][26] 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."[27] Film critic Komal Nahta described him as a "revelation" in his own right.[28] The film was a critical and commercial success, earning over ₹780 million (US$9.8 million) in India.[29] 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."[30]
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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."[30] Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India called him "absolutely mesmerising";[31] 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."[32]
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."[33] Sonia Chopra of Sify said, "Randeep Hooda is the best thing about the film."[34] It was a commercial success and earned a domestic revenue of over ₹410 million (US$5.1 million).[35] 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".[36] 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".[37] Jism 2 was a moderate commercial success, earning ₹350 million (US$4.4 million) in India.[38
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