Randeep Hooda tells Divyani Raghav about finishing a shoot with a broken toe and how he, along with his Do lafzon Ki Kahani co-star Kajal Aggarwal, have pledged to donate their eyes
His parents wanted him become a doctor and do something “meaningful” with his life but Randeep Hooda’s heart lay somewhere else. He wanted to act. And it did not matter how long it would take for him to become famous, as long as he could face the camera. “My parents were quite strict an when I told them that I wanted to act their first reaction was ‘bhand banna hai to ghar aja’ (if you want to loiter around then come home). It took me years to convince them. Even though I graduated from high school with science, there was no way I was becoming a doctor. In the end, they relented but with a warning, “jo karna hai kar par budhape mein humare upar bojh mat ban jana” (do whatever you feel like but don’t become a burden on us when we are old),” said Hooda.
He had made a decision and stuck by it, no matter what. And he has never looked back. Starting with a small role in Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding, he went on to portray some off-the-track characters in all these years. From a cop to a kidnapper and from a serial killer to Sarabjit his roles have been quite varied. But till date he has not been part of an out an out romantic movie. Not untill Do lafzon Ki Kahani.
If the trailers are anything to go by we are sure that the movie spells more than we are being let on to. “It is my first bona-fide love story,” said the actor during the Delhi promotions.
Anyone who knows the actor well would know that he likes to keep his priorities straight. He does not like to talk much about anything else than the movie in hand and he told us that Do lafzon... is a simple story of a boy and a girl. The best thing about Hooda is that he has no inhibitions in accepting that the story has been adapted from a Kannad movie Boxer which was inspired from a Korean movie. “Even though the story has been adapted to the big screen quite a number of times, it is still worth watching. Also it is very relatable,” he said.
The actor mentioned that he had seen the original movie and had always felt that it should be made in Hindi as well. The opportunity arrived on his doorstep in the form of director Deepak Tijori who proposed to make the film.
It is a love story between two people living in Kuala lumpur, whom fate brings together. Sounds familiar, rightIJ But what is sure to blow your mind is the physique that Hoods had to build to fit the part. It took him six months of martial training with four hours of body-building every day to get looking like this. “I had to gain 30 kg to play Suraj,” he said. Also, the makers have made sure that the action is kept intact, so every punch and every fight that you see on the screen is real. During the initial days of shooting, Hoods had injured himself and broke his toes during a fight sequence. “But I did not let them stop shooting and finished it in that condition and learnt to walk in frame,” he beamed. It did not surprise us much though because Hooda’s commitment to work is not new and he has proved it time and over again.
He let us into a secret. “Whatever I have learnt in this movie of MMA fighting and body building I have had the opportunity to impart them to Salman Khan in Sultan,” said Hoods who plays Khan’s trainer in the movie.
What intrigued us was how he felt after doing a romantic movie as the leadIJ He told us that after switching from an intense movie like Sarbjit, he has tried to give some flair to his character. He had to go that extra mile because for the first he was playing a shy and reserved character. “I look at the story first, then I see how comfortable I am with the director, the role and the production house before choosing a movie. Moreover, as far as tough roles are concerned, I think I trick myself into committing to difficult roles. Frankly, I have learnt more from films than from school and believe that I am blessed,” he pointed out.
Hooda’s love interest in the movie, Jenny, played by Kajal Aggarwal, is visually challenged and to brace up for their roles, the actors had interacted with a lot of people from the community. After encountering their penury, both actors have pledged to donate their eyes.