Actor Randeep Hooda attended the India Today Mind Rocks 2024 event in Bengaluru on September 14. Here he had a fun conversation with moderator Nabila Jameel. During the session, Randeep shared his thoughts on his career, characters, censor board and boycott culture. He also joked about the jokes related to his marriage.
How is Randeep Hooda keeping himself fit? In response to this question, the actor said that I have experimented a lot with my body. Now I am doing intermittent fasting along with gym, walking and horse riding. I am taking care of myself.
Who is a hero?
Who is a hero in your eyes? Randeep said that my hero is the one who follows his mind. Thinks about society and culture. Contributes. All the characters I have played have a set hero. You have to follow the structure in Bollywood. After some of my initial films, I understood that I want to do more than playing my character in every film. I did not find that interesting at all. I was bored with myself. I did not want characters with the popular image of a hero. I like those characters whose truth I get to understand. A hero is his own person and makes his own path. Has the courage to face failure and does not shy away from learning something new.
Randeep keeps his ideology open
You are one of those actors who express their thoughts openly. You are proud of what you think and feel. You put your ideology forward openly. Where do you get the courage to do this? In response, Randeep Hooda said that it depends. When I am playing the character of Raja Ravi Varma, my ideology is different. When I am playing the character of Charles Sobhraj, my ideology is different. When I am playing the character of Inspector Avinash, it is different and when I am playing the character of Savarkar, the ideology is different. So I think a person should always learn new things. It is not right to always have the same ideology. There is goodness in everyone. You should be flexible with your ideology. Then you change and change remains forever.
Do you think that the hero we see on screen should also be seen in real life? On this Randeep said that I think it is in my culture. I am a Jat from Haryana. We are bold people. Our culture is rough but also sensitive. We are not afraid to stand against the crowd and stand apart from it. I know that there are many people in our society who are trying to do good to the people in the world without looking at their own benefit. I think they are the real heroes.
Changes happening in cinema
What changes are we seeing in the way cinema is made and watched? Randeep said that I have always kept a distance from doing flashy films. But in India and elsewhere too, we believe more in watching cinema for entertainment, in which we do not have to use our brain too much. But I have been fortunate and I have worked in such films… I had to bear the brunt of it by not working. In my 24-year career, I have not done anything for 11 years, because I kept waiting so that I could get something better to do or some change could happen. But the essence of cinema is entertainment. Even though I have been a part of such films which were entertaining and had their own meaning. But I do not think that no one has to listen to lectures in cinema. People take home whatever you tell them in a joking manner.
There is a problem with the censor board
Movies are constantly being inspired by reality. This is the trend these days. What do you think, how much freedom do people have in our country as artists? What would you like to say on censorship? Any movie that comes out faces some problem with the censor board. There are many movies that get passed despite having sensitive content. Randeep said that I feel there should be no restriction on anyone’s perspective of making art. Like when I made a movie on Savarkar, I did not portray him as Veer in the movie. I left it to the audience to decide after watching the movie whether he was Veer or not. So I too faced a lot of difficulties with the censor board. I was asked to give proof as to where I got things from. Dialogues of famous people and other things. I went in front of the censor board and showed them all this.
How did your career start in Bollywood?
How did you enter Bollywood? Randeep said how did I go there. I got a BBA degree. I told my parents that I want to become a professional actor. They said don’t become a burden on us in our old age. Do whatever you want to do. I started modeling, then worked in plays. I was called from there for audition. I auditioned for Mira Nair’s film Monsoon Wedding. She was reading lines and I forgot where she was reading from. So I started making up things from my mind. She said this is very good. Leave the script, sit here and flirt with me. I flirted with her well and then I got the film. There I met Naseeruddin Shah and the rest is history.
Randeep spoke on boycott culture
Nowadays, films get into trouble. Do you think any popularity is good? The actor said that yes I believe in it. The problem is when no one is talking about you. I think boycott culture is fake on social media. If you are seeing on social media that someone is demanding to boycott a film, it does not mean that people will not watch that film. I do not believe in it at all. If people are not watching that film, it is because its trailer is not good. It has nothing to do with boycott culture. I am not afraid of it. I have been cancelled many times. I stand right here.
Wedding in Manipuri
Without a government job, marriages cannot take place in Haryana. You have proved it true. When I went to Manipuri to get married, the same joke came out that Randeep Hooda also had to go to Manipur to get married because he did not have a government job. I think that everyone’s attention was drawn to the Meitei culture, which is my wife’s culture, and her being down to earth, her Indianness and her being exotic. I had nothing to do with it. Thanks to the people of Manipur. My brother-in-law Manikanta said on the mic after the marriage that only people from Haryana can come and get married here amidst so many fights.
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