Randeep Hooda

Randeep Hooda (born 20 August 1976) is an Indian actor and equestrian. Best known for his work in the Hindi film industry, he is the recipient of accolades such as two Stardust Awards and a nomination each for the Filmfare and the International Indian Film Academy Awards.

Born in Rohtak, Haryana, Hooda studied at the Motilal Nehru School of Sports, where he began acting in school productions. He later pursued a postgraduate degree in human resource management in Melbourne, Australia, and on his return to India began modelling and acting in theatre productions. He made his Hindi film debut with Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding (2001). However, little recognition came his way and he went on to appear in a spate of critically and commercially unsuccessful projects including D (2005) and Karma Aur Holi (2009)

A turning point in his career came when Hooda starred in the commercially successful Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010), and was subsequently noted for his performance in Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster (2011), which earned him an IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination. His starring roles in thrillers Jannat 2 (2012) and Jism 2 (2012) sustained him success at the box-office as he continued to garner praise for his performances in such films as the road drama Highway (2014) and the biopics Rang Rasiya (2014) and Sarbjit (2016).

In addition to his film career, Hooda has acted in numerous stage plays and had made his debut as a playwright with an adaptation of Lee Blessing's A Walk in the Woods. He is also a professional equestrian who regularly participates in polo, show jumping and dressage events. He won a silver medal at an open dressage event in New Delhi that was organised by the Equestrian Federation of India.

Early life and background
Randeep Singh Hooda was born in a Hindu Jat family, on 20 August 1976. Randeep Hooda's parents are Dr. Ranbir Hooda and Asha Devi Hooda. His father is a medical surgeon and his mother is a social worker. He spent most of his childhood with his grandmother in their hometown as his parents travelled extensively, and resided in the Middle East for most part. He has an elder sister, Anjali Hooda Sangwan, a medical (MBBS, MD) doctor trained in India and in the United States of America, and a younger brother Sandeep Hooda, a Software Engineer working in Singapore.

Hooda belongs to a Jat family. He was educated at Motilal Nehru School of Sports (MNSS), a boarding school in Rai, Haryana, where he participated in swimming and equestrian sports and won medals at the national level. Hooda later developed an interest in theatre and participated in school productions, one of which he directed. In an interview with Rediff.com, he said he enjoyed appearing in front of people. However, his family wanted him to become a doctor and he was transferred to Delhi Public School, R. K. Puram in New Delhi. Hooda described the transition from an environment in which he was popular to one in which he was unknown as "difficult".

After completing his schooling, Hooda moved to Melbourne, Australia, in 1995, where he studied for a bachelor's degree in marketing and a master's degree in business management and human resource management. During that period, he worked in a Chinese restaurant, a car wash, as a waiter and for two years as a taxi driver. In 2000, Hooda returned to India and worked in the marketing department of an airline. He subsequently started modelling and working in amateur theatre in Delhi. While rehearsing for the play To Teach His Own, director Mira Nair approached Hooda to audition for a role in her upcoming film.

Film career
2001–09: Debut and struggle
Hooda made his acting debut in Mira Nair's film Monsoon Wedding (2001), playing a non-resident Indian from Australia. Although the film was a critical and commercial success, Hooda waited four years for a second project. In the meantime, he worked in theatre and appeared in television commercials to support himself financially. He also attended and assisted an imagination and improvisation workshop conducted by Naseeruddin Shah at the National School of Drama in New Delhi.

In 2005, Hooda was cast as the male lead in Ram Gopal Varma's gangster film D. His performance in the film received positive reviews; Taran Adarsh wrote, "D wouldn't be what it is without Randeep. He changes his expressions like a chameleon changes colors and that's where he scores."After D, Hooda appeared in a series of critically and commercially unsuccessful films including Darna Zaroori Hai (2006), Risk (2007), Ru Ba Ru (2008), and Love Khichdi (2009).

2010–16: Breakthrough and critical acclaim
The year 2010 marked a significant turning point in Hooda's career; he appeared in Milan Luthria's Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, a period action drama depicting the rise of organised crime in Mumbai. Co-starring alongside Ajay Devgan, Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut and Prachi Desai, Hooda played a police officer in the film. His performance in the film was variously appreciated by critics.

The following year, Hooda featured in Tigmanshu Dhulia's romantic thriller Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster with Jimmy Shergill and Mahie Gill. The film (and his portrayal of a gangster who falls in love with a married woman while working as her driver) earned rave reviews from critics. Hooda's first film in 2012 was Kunal Deshmukh's crime thriller Jannat 2, a sequel to Jannat (2008). Jannat 2 received mixed reviews from critics and Hooda was praised for his performance. Hooda's final film of the year was Madhur Bhandarkar's drama Heroine, starring Kareena Kapoor, in which he played cricketer Angad Paul. In 2013, Hooda starred opposite Aditi Rao Hydari and Sara Loren in Vishesh Bhatt's Murder 3, an official remake of the 2011 Colombian thriller The Hidden Face.  Later that year, Hooda acted in Ketan Mehta's biographical period film Rang Rasiya, based on the life of the 19th-century Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma. Hooda also featured in the thriller John Day, alongside Naseeruddin Shah. He also appeared alongside Rani Mukerji and Saqib Saleem in a segment directed by Karan Johar for the anthology film Bombay Talkies. The film was made as a celebration of the 100th year of Indian cinema and was screened at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

In 2014, Hooda appeared opposite Alia Bhatt in Imtiaz Ali's Highway. To get used to his character, who had a distant relationship with Bhatt's character, he avoided speaking to her for about 25 days. He then starred in Sajid Nadiadwala's action film Kick, co-starring Salman Khan and Jacqueline Fernandez. In 2015, Hooda portrayed the serial killer Charles Sobhraj in Prawaal Raman's, Main Aur Charles. It was told from the perspective of Amod Kanth, the cop who handled his case and was also based on his 1986 jail escape. The film was released in India on 31 October 2015 to mostly positive response from critics. In 2016, Hooda starred in four films, the first one was the drama thriller Laal Rang, based around illegal blood selling. Omung Kumar's biographical drama Sarbjit, was his next release, where he portrayed the role of Sarabjit Singh, who was captured by Pakistan and later sentenced to death by their Supreme Court for alleged terrorism.  Hooda's next release was Deepak Tijori's Do Lafzon Ki Kahani alongside Kajal Aggarwal. A remake of the 2011 Korean film Always, the film was a critical and commercial failure.His final release of 2016 was the sports drama Sultan, co-starring Salman Khan and Anushka Sharma, where he played the coach of Sultan. With earnings of over ₹5 billion (US$70 million) worldwide, it ranks among Indian cinema's biggest grossers.

2017–present: Struggle for film roles and move to online platforms
Hooda played a supporting role in the 2018 action film Baaghi 2 after a gap of two years. He was working on a film based on the Battle of Saragarhi, but the project was ultimately dropped after being stuck in development hell for over three years. Hooda made his Hollywood debut with the American action-thriller film Extraction (2020) starring along with Chris Hemsworth and Goldshifteh Farahani. The film was released on April 24, 2020. Netflix estimated the film will be watched by 90 million viewers in the first month of release.

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Film Result Ref.
2010 Lions Gold Awards Favourite Actor in a Supporting Role Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai Won [96]
2012 Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Nominated
International Indian Film Academy Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated
2013 Stardust Awards Best Actor Jannat 2 Nominated
2014 Stardust Awards Best Actor Highway Won
2015 Producers Guild Film Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Best Actor Nominated
Filmfare Awards Best Actor Rang Rasiya Nominated
Stardust Awards Stardust Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role Main Aur Charles Won

Source:Wikipedia