Sushmita Is Not The Most Important One: Randeep Hooda (Interview)

RANDEEP HOODA is back with a bang after a long hiatus. His film Rang Rasiya with Ketan Mehta has established him as a thinking and serious actor. We nail the publicity shy actor for more.

Why such a low profile?

I believe in letting my work do the talking. I focus more on quality rather than the quantity. My work should be known more than I am. But there was a long gap after D and Risk. I do one movie at a time. It’s only when a project gets over that I move on to the next. D and Risk took a long time to get completed. Since I have faced this with these movies, now I have decided to give my producers a deadline, because if a project takes too long to finish, one loses interest in it. This year, I have several releases.After Rang Rasiya, in which you play the legendary painter Raja Ravi Varma, you have broken the image of a brooding gangster. Now you have a romantic thriller Rubaru. Comment.

I think even D and Risk were romantic movies. In them, I was romancing guns while in Rubaru I romance a girl.What’s Rubaru all about?

It’s about how we start taking things for granted. Specially when it comes to expressing our love to our loved ones. It’s about how we let time slip and when it gets too late, the regret is real bad.

Is the role anywhere inspired from his relationship with Sushmita Sen?

It’s not the most important relationship I have had with a woman. The role is more inspired from my relationship with my girlfriend in Australia, while I was studying there.

How much do you relate with the characters you portray?

Very little. They are a part of me, albeit a very small part. In fact, I am amazed at people who say that they prepared so much for their role. You can relate to a character but not be like the character completely. As an actor you have to use your imagination to play a role. It’s all about honing your craft.

So how come you got into acting? Randeep has a masters in Business Management.

I had done theatre in school. And while I was studying in Australia, I drove a cab and ferried a lot of people around town, of which some were successful while some were not. And I observed that the people who were happy weren’t the ones who had a good amount of money. So I sat to think what I really wanted to do in life. Finally, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to be an actor. Acting was what gave me the maximum satisfaction. So here I am.

You also have had a long stint in theatre…

Yes, I did. I worked with Naseeruddin Shah for four years. I’m still predominantly a theatre actor. I’m trying to go back to theatre, and I will for sure. I wonder why people say that theatre acting is more difficult that acting in films. I think otherwise. In films, a single shot has so many retakes. In theatre, you have to seal a shot in one go.

How has your association with Naseeruddin Shah been?

He’s my friend, philosopher and guide. In fact, it was he who discouraged me from becoming an actor. He asked me to get into modelling or do anything else instead. But when he saw that I was one Jat who wouldn’t relent, he gave up. Then, he made me slog and made me a pucca actor. Under him, I have worked even as an errand boy, but it has all helped me become what I am today.

Horses and music are your other passions.

I have my pulse on a lot of things. I love horses. I go for show jumping, play polo and stuff. I love equestrian sports. Horses are lovable creatures. It’s like interacting with yourself. They have helped me calm down. Besides that, it’s music that drives me. I love playing the saxophone and have played it in one of my movies too.

What kind of movies are you looking forward to now?

I don’t want to get into the regular song and dance routine. Songs are disruptive. I think films should be made without songs. They are good only for promotion. When a song plays in a film, people go out to fag or eat popcorn. I don’t want that to happen in my films. I’m not here for a joyride. I am here to do serious work.

SOURCE: Timesofindia