Marking 25 years in cinema, Randeep Hooda reflects on a career of just 50 films and a sense of being “misplaced” in Bollywood. In an exclusive chat, he says the industry still doesn’t know how to slot him, even as audiences show him more love than insiders. He explains his deliberate breaks, choosing varied roles to avoid comfort and keep both himself and viewers engaged.
25 years since he made his debut with the 2001 comedy-drama Monsoon Wedding, Randeep Hooda feels he has received "more love, respect and adoration from the audience compared to what I have from the industry.”
As the actor reflects on his journey, he says. "If I calculate, 11 or 12 years out of the 25, I’ve not been on a set for even a single day."
In an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Hooda reveals feeling misplaced in an industry that he feels is yet to discover his range as an actor, the reason behind his frequent breaks from films and how he manages to keep his work and himself interesting.
When asked whether he feels the Hindi film industry has utilised him enough, Hooda says, “I think they still don’t know what to do (with me).” While he believes he has previously been able to carry blockbusters and brought something different, or even better, to the characters he has played, the actor feels the industry hasn't quite figured out where to place his talent. “I don’t know where they can slot me,” he feels.
The actor also expresses that he hopes there will be a point where he can lead bigger films as it would allow him to reach a larger audience. “Deep down inside, every artist’s biggest desire is not to be eclectic. Every artist deepest desire, whether it’s a dancer or a painter, is to reach out to as many people as possible to make them understand what you’re trying to do,” he says.
Hooda's frequent breaks from films aren't a coincidence, but a conscious choice. “I have tried to choose very different things so that I don’t get comfortable. I keep my own work interesting for myself so that the audience finds me interesting,” he says, explaining this to be the reason he works in spurts, filming three to four movies each year till he feels like he has nothing left to offer.
“Then I’ll take a break or I’ll try and look for something that breaks the rhythm and find myself all over again. You go through this before every project. It acts as fuel and it holds me in good stead,” he says.