Randeep Hooda | Personal Life, Filmography, Affairs, Controversies

Randeep Hooda spent most of his childhood with his grandparents in his hometown in Haryana as his parents were always travelling and mostly lived in the Middle East. Randeep Hooda did his schooling at Motilal Nehru School of Sports (MNSS), a boarding school in Rai, Haryana. He also participated in swimming and equestrian sports and went on to win medals at a national level.

With time, Randeep Hooda started developing a liking for theatre and started participating in school plays. His first gig as a stage actor was that of a lion, where he was asked to wear a lion's mask and just roar. He also started directing his school plays and got immense recognition for the same. Randeep Hooda said in an interview that he loves being in front of people which is why he got into theatre. His parents, however, wanted him to pursue MBBS which is why they transferred him to Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram in New Delhi. He did not like the transition from being a popular kid in his previous school to becoming a nobody in his new school and described it to be a difficult one.

Randeep Hooda's life has been a rollercoaster of a life. From debuting in one of the most celebrated movies of the 21st Century to not having any work at all for years, he has seen a lot in his life and that has helped him in staying humble and out of the spotlight for the majority of his career. Even though Randeep Hooda's debut movie was a major hit at the box office, it didn't help much in kick-starting his career. He had to wait another 4 years just to bag another movie roll. During that time, he worked as a model and also featured in a number of TV Commercials just to make ends meet.

He also assisted Naseeruddin Shah at improv workshops to make some extra money. Even when he got to work in movies, they turned out to be disasters and it further decreased his chances of getting his big break. After the success of Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster, he did manage to get some recognition but it quickly died out and he didn't work for a few years. His project on the Battle of Saragarhi was also shelved because a similar movie called 'Kesari' by Akshay Kumar was released and the producers knew no one would watch two very similar movies.

Randeep Hooda got his big break by playing the role of ACP Agnel Wilson in the critically acclaimed film, Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai. He was praised for his chameleon-like performance and his ability to create a strong presence in the scene. Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai is a 2010 Hindi language crime drama gangster film directed by Milan Luthria.

It stars Ajay Devgn, Prachi Desai, Emran Hashmi and Kangana Ranaut, along with Randeep Hooda in the lead roles. It is loosely based on the lives of underworld gang leaders, Haji Mastan and Dawood Ibrahim. It shows the rise and fall of Sultan Mirza, played by Ajay Devgn, from a petty robber to one of Mumbai's most influential and flamboyant gangsters, who had connections in the film industry and politics.

With one hit film after the other, Randeep Hooda was slowly cementing his place as a dependable actor; someone who could lead the role in a big-budget film and that's what he did in 2012 in Kunal Deshmukh's crime thriller movie Jannat 2. It was a sequel to the 2008 box office hit movie Jannat and starred Emraan Hashmi and Esha Gupta, along with Randeep Hooda in the lead roles.

Randeep played the role of ACP Pratap Raghuvanshi, an honest cop who is hell-bent on catching the leader of the arms racket and takes the help of a small-time arms dealer, Sonu Dilli KKC, who works as an informant for him. Sonu falls in love with Dr Jhanvi Singh Tomar, played by Esha Gupta. His world comes crashing down when he finds that Jhanvi's father, Mangal, is the leader of the arms racket. He is asked by Pratap to join Mangal's gang to get more information about him.

Randeep Hooda's next film of 2012 was Pooja Bhatt directed erotic thriller, Jism 2, starring Sunny Leone. He played the role of an assassin named Kabir Wilson. Despite the film's average performance, Randeep's dark and gory portrayal of a merciless killer was applauded by the critics. Jism 2 went on to do moderate business, amassing around Rs. 35 Crores at the box office.

Randeep Hooda had a lukewarm start to his 2013 as he starred opposite Aditi Rao Hydari and Sara Loren in the Vishesh Bhatt directed psychological thriller movie 'Murder 3'. It is the official remake of the 2011 Colombian thriller 'The Hidden Face' and was not received well by the viewers. Randeep's performance was criticised and Mint, in their review of the movie said that Randeep "is hundreds of shades below his ability to enact a character" The film did averagely at the box office and earned a gross total of Rs. 25 crores.

Later in the year, Randeep Hooda starred in a biographical period film titled 'Rang Rasiya', where he played the role of a 19th-century Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma. He also featured in a thriller titled 'John Day' alongside Naseeruddin Shah. His last film of the year was an anthology called 'Bombay Talkies' where he worked with Rani Mukerji and Saqib Saleem in the part that Karan Johar directed. Bombay Talkies was made to celebrate the 100th year of Indian Cinema and was screened at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

The next big hit of 2014 by Randeep Hooda came in the form of action thriller 'Kick' starring Salman Khan, Jacqueline Fernandes and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Directed by Sajid Nadiadwala, Kick was one of the highest-grossing films of 2014, amassing a mammoth Rs. 400 crores at the box office. Randeep Hooda played the role of ACP Himanshu Tyagi who has been assigned to catch Devil Lal Singh AKA Devil, played by Salman Khan. Randeep's performance was raved about by the critics, with his calm yet imposing presence in the film being pinpointed as one of the highlights of the film.

2015 turned out to be a mediocre year for Randeep Hooda, with only one release the whole year in the name of 'Main Aur Charles' directed by Prawaal Raman. He played the titular role of Charles Sobhraj, a serial killer on the run from the police. The film was a box office flop but was well received by the critics.

Randeep Hooda made his Hollywood debut with the Joe Russo directed Netflix film 'Extraction' starring Chris Hemsworth. He played the role of Saju Rav, a former Para Lieutenant and head of security of Ovi Mahajan Sr., a crime lord. It is a story about an Australian Black Ops mercenary who has been assigned to find an Indian druglord's son in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The mission takes a drastic turn when the mercenary has been double-crossed. The film garnered positive reviews and Randeep's character of a no-nonsense security general was praised by the critics. It was also Netflix's most watched original content, with 99 million views in the first week itself. Due to its popularity, a sequel to this movie has been announced.

In 2010, Randeep Hooda walked the ramp for an NGO named 'Khushi' which was formed by former cricketer Kapil Dev for improving the conditions of poor communities in India. He was also a part of the social awareness program where he spread awareness about chronic hunger.

In 2012, Randeep participated in an anti-suicide awareness campaign where he shared an anecdote from his life and told people that he had failed his class 12 examination. He encouraged people, especially students not to commit suicide by saying that failure does not exist and that it is just a pathway to success. He also mentioned that suicide is never the option and even said that it does not end the problem, it only ends one's life.