Randeep Hooda was born in a small village called Daseya in the Rohtak district of Haryana. His mother, Asha Hooda, is a BJP politician and his father is a surgeon by profession. He did schooling from Delhi Public School before moving to Australia for higher studies. He is Bachelors in Marketing & Human Resource Management.
He made his film debut in Monsoon Wedding (2001) where he plays NRI (Non Resident Indian). He got the role in Monsoon Wedding primarily because of his Australian accent rather then his acting skills or good looks.
However even after a powerful performance in Monsoon Wedding he had to wait for 4 years to get a second project. He finally got lucky and Ramgopal Verma cast him as lead in a gangster flick “D” (2005). “D” was a turning point in his career and he suddenly became a household name across the country. The “D” which supposedly portrays Dawood Ibrahim’s real life gave Randeep Hooda a grand entry into tinsel town.
Recently he got the lead role in “Karma, Confessions and Holi” (2006) produced by Drena De Niro.
Randeep Hooda is an actor based out of Mumbai, India. He made his debut with Mira Nair’s “Monsoon Wedding,” and subsequently went on to become a relevant player in the Hindi film industry with an interesting body of work.
After his initial success with “Monsoon Wedding,” Randeep was cast as the male lead in Ram Gopal Varma’s gritty gangster film D, allegedly based on the life of Dawood Ibrahim. His performance in the film received positive reviews.
Soon after, Randeep’s career expanded with lead roles in films such as Darna Zaroori Hain, Risk, Ru Ba Ru, Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye, and Love Khichdi. He has also starred in an international production titled, Karma Aur Holi, which revealed his universal appeal on a global scale. Outside films, Randeep is actively involved with the leading theatre group – Motley, founded by noteworthy Indian actor – Naseerudin Shah, his mentor.
Most recently, his performance was highlighted in the partially fictionalized 2010 blockbuster film, “Once Upon A Time in Mumbai,” in which he played an honest cop who inadvertently gives rise to Dawood Ibrahim, one of India’s most infamous underworld crime lords. His performance in the film was appreciated by critics and proved to be a turning point in his career. The film emerged as a critical and commercial success, earning over 78 crore (US$14.2 million) in India. Hooda later attributed his success to the film. The film went on to receive nominations for Best Picture at all major award functions.
The following year, Hooda featured in Tigmanshu Dhulia’s romantic thriller Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster with Jimmy Shergill and Mahie Gill. Upon release, the film and his portrayal of a gangster who falls in love with a married woman while working for her as a driver, earned rave reviews from critics.
Hooda’s first film in 2012 was Kunal Deshmukh’s crime thriller Jannat 2, a follow-up film to Jannat (2008). While the film received mixed reviews from critics, Hooda was applauded for his performance. Taran Adarsh wrote that “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.” The film was a commercial success, with a domestic revenue of over 41 crore (US$7.46 million). His next appearance was in Pooja Bhatt’s erotic thriller Jism 2 opposite Sunny Leone. The film and Hooda’s performance garnered mixed reviews from critics. Lisa Tsering of The Hollywood Reporter said that Hooda “smolders to the best of his ability in the role of a violent criminal.” Jism 2 was a moderate commercial success, earning 35 crore (US$6.37 million) in India.
Hooda’s final film in 2012 was Madhur Bhandarkar’s drama Heroine featuring Kareena Kapoor as the protagonist. He was cast by the director to essay the role of a cricketer named Angad Paul. Prior to the start of principal photography, actor Arunoday Singh was chosen to play the role, but was later dropped from the film due to unknown reasons. Media reports began speculating the name of several actors (such as Ranbir Kapoor, Imran Khan and Prateik Babbar) though Bhandarkar later confirmed that he had selected Hooda after seeing his performance in Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster (2011). Upon release, the film received mixed to negative reviews but Hooda’s performance was appreciated by critics. The film was eventually declared a below average grosser as it failed at the domestic and international box office.
As of February 2013, Hooda stars opposite Aditi Rao Hydari and Sara Loren in Mahesh Bhatt’s Murder 3 and the anthology film Bombay Talkies, in the segment directed by Karan Johar, alongside Rani Mukerji and Saqib Saleem. He has also been signed on for several other projects including Vishram Sawant’s Shooter, John Day, Rensil D’Silva’s Ungli and Pooja Bhatt’s Cabaret.
