Over the last five years, Randeep Hooda has emerged as a formidable action star, whether it’s in his Hollywood debut, Sam Hargrave’s 2020 Netflix India action thriller Extraction or more recently, his antagonist turn in Gopichand Malineni’s Bollywood directorial debut Jaat. Hooda has also worked with seasoned action stars across the globe, whether it’s Chris Hemsworth and John Cena in the West, or Sunny Deol and Salman Khan back home.
In an interview with Mid-day, Randeep said, “The action is designed around them (Sunny Deol and Salman Khan). They’re both great. When you see them, you feel they can do it.”
He added, “They’re stars before the advent of the internet. They were rare commodities. Now, you know what every star is doing or eating, it’s all available on their social media. They have their persona, and that’s what I was trying to aim for.”
Randeep Hooda also claimed that Sunny Deol and Salman Khan have reached a point in their careers when action is designed around them, instead of them trying to fit into the action choreography. He pointed out that Hollywood action stars like John Cena and Chris Hemsworth have a different approach in comparison.
“The difference is they come and rehearse for weeks and weeks before they do it. Me and Chris were rehearsing for six weeks before we did them. It looks real. That happens with rehearsals, like in theatre. They’re not as worshipped as our Indian male stars are, and that’s probably what keeps it somewhere real,” argued Randeep.
When he went on the sets of Extraction and had a long action sequence with Chris Hemsworth, Randeep Hooda realized he’s never even punched anybody on a film set despite his macho onscreen image. “That was 2019. So for 19 years, I had the image of this tough guy in various roles, but I never punched anybody. I had to learn how to take and give a punch. It’s much like dance. You feel like you’ve done a lot, and then one morning, you wake up and realize, ‘Man, I haven’t done anything (laughs),’” said Randeep.
Randeep will soon reunite with Extraction director Sam Hargrave for the latter’s action adventure comedy Matchbox, which also stars John Cena. It’s slated to release in cinemas next year. Randeep recently locked horns with Sunny Deol in Jaat, whereas he’s worked with Salman Khan in three films so far — Sajid Nadiadwala’s Kick (2014), Ali Abbas Zafar’s Sultan (2016), and Prabhu Deva’s Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai (2021).
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Randeep Hooda also claimed that Salman Khan is a friend now. “He’s very intelligent and creative, and I think a bit isolated now. He’s given me a lot of advice over the years, which I haven’t followed, on how to be nice and helpful to people. But he gives it to you in all earnestness and wants the best for you,” added Randeep.
