Full transcript of Randeep Hooda interview at Rising Bharat Summit

Interviewer: Informed too, right?

Randeep Hooda: Sorry, informed too.

Interviewer: How has this year been for you?

Randeep Hooda: It’s been a great year—although it’s only April, it already feels very long! My film Jaat is releasing tomorrow. I've been shooting it since last August. And for the first time ever, I’ve gone straight from shooting a film to promoting the same film, without a break. We were shooting till the very last minute. So, I’m both exhausted and excited, and really looking forward to sharing my work with everyone.

Interviewer: I’ve seen that trailer of yours, amazing work. In which there is a dialogue of yours, that you can only repeat, that I really like name. Please say it once.

Randeep Hooda: I really like my name—Randeep Hooda.

Interviewer: Up until recently, Randeep Hooda was one of those actors who didn’t enjoy talking to journalists. He was someone who wanted the audience to just see him on screen, understand his characters, and that’s it. So, how did this change come about? These days, Randeep doesn’t hesitate—he’s open to going places, answering questions. How did your heart open up like this? Who opened it?

Randeep Hooda: Look, I grew up watching those kinds of actors who were mostly visible only on the big screen, and we didn’t know much about their personal lives. Keeping that in mind, I always felt that people would believe more in my characters and performances if they knew less about my personal life.

But times are changing, the ways of reaching people are evolving. With social media and everything else, now it's all about turning your face into a fish-face, clicking your own pictures, taking selfies, and sharing them online. So now, what’s the point in hiding? People are making videos of everything—from eating to pooping—and sharing it all on social media. Maybe through that, a new kind of audience is being formed, which people nowadays call “consumers.” Initially, we started working for the audience—but maybe this is now a new way to reach them.

Interviewer: So, is this a pain, a compulsion, or a strength of Randeep Hooda?

Randeep Hooda: No, no, it’s like this. If you go to the Ganga, it’s Ganga Ram. If you go to the Yamuna, it’s Yamuna Ram. Wherever you're headed, flow with it. As time changes, you should change with it too. But personally, I’d still like to go back to that older way of being. Social media is very addictive. Even I, when I was directing Savarkar, switched to using a basic Nokia phone—no WhatsApp, no distractions, just calls. Life became so simple. I learned who truly mattered and who didn’t. But once the film was done, I got a smartphone again. And then all the bottled-up content-consuming cravings of the past couple of years just exploded. I spent too much time on social media again, so I removed all those apps from my phone. Now I feel genuinely peaceful and centered.

Interviewer: So yes, currently there are no social media apps on my phone.

Randeep Hooda: And I don’t want them either. I barely have time for my own life and work—how can I keep tabs on what others are doing? And these days on social media, what really happens is—people move away from real happiness and real pain, and all you see is this constant show of “Look how amazing my life is!” That’s all they want others to see. There is no real pain and real happiness there. There is no real connection. Only you have to show that how you’re enjoying life and outside that frame, no matter how sad a person really is.

Interviewer: Alright, since this question has been asked and answered. How many of you here don’t have social media apps on your phone? Anyone? What are you saying?

Randeep Hooda: Looks like I’m in the minority now.

Interviewer: Oh ho! How many people here have apps on their phones? Social media?

Randeep Hooda: Everyone, huh? You all have so much free time to keep watching others.

Interviewer: Hey, don’t say that—you’ll get in trouble. Your movie’s releasing tomorrow. If people don’t have free time, how will they go watch it?

Randeep Hooda: Oh, they’ll go. Of course they will.

Interviewer: By the way, one thing—you said, “Ganga chale Ganga Ram, Yamuna chale Yamuna Ram.” That phrase takes me to a larger point— Right now, this country is in the middle of a full-blown ideological war. There’s the left, there’s the right. And where is the center. God knows where it disappeared. Where does Randeep stand?

Randeep Hooda: Look, I knew this googly was coming. But see, I’m not some party spokesperson, right? Still, the biggest thing people fail to grasp is this: The left wing and the right wing belong to the same bird. We should have different ideologies—so that there's debate, there's dialogue. That’s how people understand where each side stands. One can be on either side, or even neutral.

Interviewer: Now when you talk about Veer Savarkar, that’s where this ideological war heats up even more. Some call him a “Mercy Veer.” Some go as far as calling him a coward. But Randeep Hooda made a film where--I didn’t once say “Veer” in the entire movie. But when a person comes out of the theatre after watching it, they feel—“My god, what this man must’ve gone through… and how.” So then the question rises, doesn’t it? Some say, “Oh, he begged for mercy.”

Randeep Hooda: But those criticisms are politically motivated—they’ve been around since the time India had three major political parties: The Indian National Congress, Hindu Mahasabha, and the Muslim League. Back then, and even now, the opposition criticizes the government, and the government criticizes the opposition. There’s a joke about this—wanna hear it? “The opposition praised the government today.”

Interviewer: That’s breaking news.

Randeep Hooda: So yes, even Savarkar got pulled into this political blame game. Now look—I’ve already sat and made all the arguments I had to, If you want to listen, great. If you don’t want to, that’s fine too. But I have just one question. If this man was really a “Mercy Veer” then why did the British keep him in prison for 27 years? Why did the British imprison the man who supposedly asked for mercy for 27 years? This is a question you should ask yourself. Think about it—why was the man who is called "Maafi Veer" kept in prison for 27 years? And why were those who never apologized to the British roaming free? Why did their jails have butlers, badminton courts, and rose gardens? Why were they kept in places like Aga Khan Palace? You should ask yourself these questions and research—why would the person who supposedly begged for mercy be imprisoned for so long? If he truly was pleading with the British, shouldn't he have been their biggest supporter?

Interviewer: It hurts when people place this label on you. In fact, I think you're someone who fits well into older times. You like the roles you play—you dive into their spirit and soul. You try your best to embody the soul of the character you're playing. Back then, there were three major parties: the INC (Indian National Congress), Hindu Mahasabha, and the Indian Muslim League.

Randeep Hooda: There was also the Communist Party, but it didn't get much attention.

Interviewer: Yet, most of the ideas came from there.

Randeep Hooda: They had plenty of free time.

Interviewer: One idea followed another. So if Randeep Hooda had been a political activist or politician in those times, which of the three parties would he have been with? Or maybe the fourth Communist? Hindu Mahasabha, Indian Muslim League, INC, and Communists.

Randeep Hooda: Look, all these discussions were limited to just a few people— the rest of the country was struggling with poverty and slavery. I don't know which party I would’ve been in because I wasn't alive at that time. I don’t even know what my ideology would’ve been back then. Maybe I would've been in the British army. A lot of our people served in the British army. Many even supported the British. During World War I, Gandhi said that if we fight on the side of the British, maybe we’ll gain freedom faster. During World War II, Savarkar Ji said that if we join the British troops, because if we join British troops, we will get training and will become officer and engineer. And it will be useful when we get independence. He used to say we should have access to weapons and ordnance factories so that we can be armed—because only the strong can expect peace. You cannot expect peace from weakness or non-violence. If you go to the border—China or Pakistan—and preach "Ahimsa Parmo Dharma", they’re not going to listen.

Interviewer: So I gave you four options—you always have to.

Randeep Hooda: What?

Interviewer: Life gives you options. And you say, "To hell with it, I’m not taking any of them!" and you go in another direction.

Randeep Hooda: That’s actually the best. At least it's unique.

Interviewer: You once made a statement about the film industry: "The industry is completely following herd mentality." If one movie becomes a hit, everyone starts making films of the same kind. After Stree movie, everyone wants to make horror-comedies after one succeeds. I don’t think this is the right measure of talent at all. That approach doesn’t work for everyone. You have to go in a different direction.

Randeep Hooda: Look, we Jaat have a habit of not doing things the conventional way. Even if we grab something, it’s someone else’s.

Interviewer: You said that Bollywood doesn't make films based on cultural or traditional subjects. The South is more connected in that way.

Randeep Hooda: They're more rooted in village life and traditions. The Hindi film industry often becomes very elitist. For instance, my director Gopichand Malineni is a Jaat director. Now, a Jaat goes and makes a film on the Maharashtrian figure Savarkar. In the same way, Gopichand Malineni is making a film on Jaats in Telugu. And on his WhatsApp status, he wrote: “I didn’t go to film school. I went to the movies.” So, this tradition of our audience watching certain kinds of films, there’s a history to it, a background — those people need to make films connected to that, and they make very rooted movies. Even today, there’s a big villain, a hero, there’s oppression in the village, and they make films on that. Although they make it a bit heightened, which I think is also the demand of cinema today — because the more muted things, you can watch those on OTT as well — so when you go to the cinema, you want to see something larger than life. There should be a bit of drama.

Interviewer: So that kind of drama is what we’re going to see in Jaat, but in Jaat, there’s no actual Jaat.

Randeep Hooda: That was the biggest googly.

Interviewer: But why?

Randeep Hooda: They came to me and said they’re doing a Jaat film. I stood up from my seat. It was like after a long time, such a ball has come that without even swinging the bat, we’ll hit a six. They narrated the script to me, that too in Telugu. It was very interesting even in Telugu, man, with such sound effects, they narrated the film. Then they said, “Your role is of Rana Tungavi.” I was like — I’m not playing a Jaat. So the script was good, everything was good, but I felt a bit like — what if people in the village say, “In a film named Jaat, you’re not playing a Jaat?” So I asked my parents. They said, “Brother, you’re an artist. If you can play Savarkar, you can play Rana Tungavi, you can play Charles Sobhraj, you can play Raja Ravi — what’s the problem in that?”

I was like, “Yeah, okay, no problem at all.” Then I sent a message to my school WhatsApp group. They said, “Hey, that’s great, who’s playing the Jaat?” I said, “Sunny Deol.” They said, “Okay then, that’s fine. He’s a proper Jaat. Let him do it — that’s Sunny Deol.”

Interviewer: So, how was it working with Sunny Paaji? Like, was it a Jaat vs Jaat clash?

Randeep Hooda: He came here, such a soft-spoken man, that 2.5 kg hand doesn’t show like that, it only shows on screen. He’s a very simple and soft-spoken person. And he says that Gadar 1 shut down his shop, and Gadar 2 restarted it. Whatever happened to him in these 20 years, I can’t even imagine. My whole career is only 20–25 years — how he endured that time with dignity and patience, he is an inspiration in himself. Because this happens with artists. When I worked with him. we used to put up his posters in the hostel cupboard using toothpaste, measure our muscles, copy his poses, and we used to fight over whose body is good, Sanjay Dutt or Sunny Deol. For us, Sunny Deol was the champion. Then his father, Dharm Paaji — in him, we used to see our own people. But he’s so soft-spoken, we used to think how will he do it — but the moment “action” is called, it’s like a spirit possesses him. There’s a rage, I don’t know what — even we got scared. Like, “Whoa, what just happened?” So, he is a very sweet man. He is meant for larger-than-life cinema, and I really wish him well, and I hope this movie is a big sixer for him so that we can see more of that roar on the screen.

Interviewer: But, when you must have done pipe sequence with him, a 2.5 kg hand must have landed on you, right? So, you must have raised your 250-gram hand or like just a finger,.

Randeep Hooda: Did anyone ever tell you, “Hey man, mine weighs 250 grams too, look…”? It wasn’t Sunny Deol’s hand that hit you, nor mine.

Interviewer: Sunny Paaji is a strong Jat man, so I said — since you were giving him so much respect — I thought, okay then, have a look at my 250 grams too.

Randeep Hooda: No, no, we don’t weigh our hand too much. It’s not like that — this is expert action, I mean. The question of you even hitting it doesn’t arise. And when I was hitting, I used to feel really scared, so if I had to hit on the face, I would hit here. So they used to say, "Hit me on the face, I’ll move my head away.” I used to say, "Paaji, what if it actually hits you? And he used to say, "It won’t hit." He didn’t worry about it and I quite enjoyed working with him.

Interviewer: Who is your inspiration in Bollywood?

Randeep Hooda: I am trying to be an inspiration myself. There are a lot of inspirations. I did theatre with Naseer for a long time. I learnt from his workshops. And Sunny Paaji and his larger than life persona, Salman and his goodwill and his larger than life persona. There are many, many people who are inspirational, people who have had long careers and have stayed on top of their game. I always believe, like you asked about interaction and social media. Even today, if you notice, even today, the big stars in our country, who we think can do anything, they are those stars who were before internet and social media. Because to see them, we had to buy film magazines, we had to see Chitrahaar, we had to see movies, we had to hire videocassettes. Now you press the button for free, who is what, what is going on, how many clothes are worn, where has he gone, is there a holiday going on here, everything is known. So, to see those stars of intrigue, star of distance and space, you have to make an effort.

So, this is also a thought. Why are there so many stars today? Because in our time, there was a rarity, there was a special value, they were not everywhere. So, maybe I was trying to follow someone, but what choice did I have — had to do it anyway.

Interviewer:
Now what to do?

Randeep Hooda:
I would have to do it.

Interviewer:
And how did you adjust in Bollywood? It will be difficult.

Randeep Hooda:
When I went to Bollywood, actually I went to Bollywood only to make my showreel for Hollywood. After 20 years, to work in Bollywood. Promos used to come. So, I used to sit on my couch and think, not couch, there used to be a stool below. I used to sit on the stool and think, in which movie do I fit? So, I was not fitting in any movie, until I saw the trailer of a movie called Company, which was made by Ram Gopal Verma. So, after seeing that, I thought, yes, I can work here. Then it was such a coincidence that someone saw me in the theater, then he also came to see the play, and then he offered me the role of a villain in a movie in his Factory, whose name was Ake. That movie was never made. But he wanted a villain who was one-sided and the whole industry was one-sided. But that movie was never made. And after a few days, I went to him and said, brother, what should I do now? He said, no, no, you don't do any other work, I will launch you. I said, okay, will you take me home? He said, brother, for a month. So, I said, yes, 35,000 rupees. So, he said, tie my salary of 35,000 rupees, and for three years, I kept taking salary of 35,000 rupees to do nothing. In the same way, there were many such coincidences in my life, that in my 25-year career, for 11-12 years, I have not been on the set even for a day. So, what was your question?

Interviewer:
How do you adjust in Bollywood?

Randeep Hooda:
So, I adjusted in Bollywood in such a way that I thought that I have to do this. And in the beginning, I did a movie like D and Risk, which was a bit of a Sunny Paaji type movie. And after that, everyone said that keep the same look, look the same, do the same kind of roles, so that you will have an image. With that, a person becomes a star. Till that time, Naseer Sir was there in my life. Then Daniel Day, Louis, Booyes, all these people started coming. So, I thought, man, this work is good, that you do everything separately. So, I started my journey from there. And if you look at my roles, 40-45, I don't know how many titles I have done, I will not look the same in any of them except a few. You copy people on radio and video. No one copies me. And I take it as a matter of pride. So, in Bollywood, I am trying to adjust with my different forms and versatility. If I don't know what I have done, I will find out later.

Interviewer:
No, this is not in Bollywood. Look at the stage here. Sometimes you are a director, sometimes you are an actor. Here you are speaking like a politician. So, what is good about you? What is close to your heart?

Randeep Hooda:
I try to be a good human being. Everything else is imposed on you. No, a person should do all kinds of things. I am a writer these days. As an artist, you don't have just one art. You have a mindset of an artist.

Interviewer:
No, but what is your ultimate goal? You want to be Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan.

Randeep Hooda:
I want to be Randeep Hooda. What are you talking about?

Interviewer:
That's great.

Randeep Hooda:
Today, I am sitting here. I am not sitting like someone else. I am sitting like a statue. In which there is as much polish as there is roughness.

Interviewer:
Very good. But do you have a target? You want to reach here and then you will see.

Randeep Hooda:
No, that is not my target. My work-life balance has been very bad. I have lived for work. I got married to work many years ago. So, I want to fix that. I want to tell many more stories. I want to direct. I want to make movies. I want to do a lot of things. But I am just scared that I don't spread myself too thin. That's all.

Interviewer:
You talked about marriage. Congratulations.

Randeep Hooda:
Thank you.

Interviewer:
You got married and there were so many discussions.

Randeep Hooda:
Last year I used to say thank you. Today I say thank you.

Interviewer:
And the discussions were such that how beautifully you got married. All the rituals have been taken care of. And both of you were looking very beautiful. But after that there was a discussion that Randeep Hooda speaks very openly about everything. He got married to a girl from Manipur. She herself is an actor. Randeep Hooda didn't say anything about the violence in Manipur. Although the situation is good today. Rules have been imposed there. Now the CM is not looking. Now the Governor is looking, now president rule has been imposed. But why didn't you say anything to Manipur?

Randeep Hooda:
I said, you didn't hear. Maybe it didn't go so viral on social media. Brother, send them too. What will a man say? There should be peace there. I am not a politician. I am just an artist. And as much as I could say, I said. Me and my wife gave oxygen machines in relief camps during covid without making much buzz. We keep doing all this. What more can we do? You tell me. Someone else's work. They should do it.

Interviewer:
So what does your wife tell you about the situation now?

Randeep Hooda:
The situation is not so good now. Manipur has been there for many years. There were many embargoes there. Oil, water, tea, milk. There was a lot of trouble. There was a lot of supply chain. So that supply chain was fine. Happiness came there. There was a wave of color and happiness there. And the work of development had just started, that this conflict started. So who doesn't want development there? We should think about it.

Interviewer:
So do you trust this government? Can they do something?

Randeep Hooda:
The government can do it. What can you do other than trust? What can you do?

Interviewer:
One line is good.

Randeep Hooda:
The government can do it.

Interviewer:
Now the time is to leave. But before I leave, I have a rapid fire with you.

Randeep Hooda:
This is a viral work.

Interviewer:
One minute.

Randeep Hooda:
Quickly say something stupid, everyone will share and then laugh. Some will abuse.

Interviewer:
Absolutely not. You tell me.

Randeep Hooda:
Some will say Veer Savarkar and some will say Mercy Veer Savarkar. What is going on there?

Interviewer:
No, but look. There is not a single answer that is not viral content. If there is, then clap your hands. Isn't it? All the statements you have made are viral content. And you are saying that rapid fire will go viral. This is wrong. So let's start. Who played a big role in freedom? Mahatma Gandhi or Veer Savarkar?

Randeep Hooda:
Both played a big role. Both played a big role.

Interviewer:
Fifty-fifty.

Randeep Hooda:
Which side are you on?

Interviewer:
I am on the side of India. I am on both sides.

Randeep Hooda:
So let me tell you one thing. Viral material. From 1946 to 1952, 40-60 countries got freedom from British, right? There was neither Savarkar nor Gandhi. How did they get that freedom? This question is for all of you.

Interviewer:
There must have been a Gandhi there too. There must have been a Savarkar there too.

Randeep Hooda:
Look, the British were tired. And in World War II, they suffered a great loss. They were not able to control administratively their British Empire where the sun never sets. All our soldiers returning from World War II who were trained, who were armed, and who knew about weapons, they were not ready to accept their rule. When they realized that rebellion could be very violent which could have happened a long time ago, these people left from here. And the partition of the country did not happen only on Hindus and Muslims. Those who called Radcliffe, they did not know. They had never come before. Winston Churchill was very smart to think of partition in 1945 because Stalin was, for example, China is building a port in Karachi, making port. Russia had come to Afghanistan. The Indian Congress Party was moving towards socialism. So they needed a base for the allied forces which was Pakistan. And if you look at the history of Pakistan today, why do they get so much support from the West? Why are the Western troops there?

Interviewer:
Exactly. The main point is that there is a professor of history sitting in front of me.

Randeep Hooda:
I was an artist. You made me a historian.

Interviewer:
It was a rapid-fire round, but you gave me a good lecture. What is your favorite movie? South or Bollywood?

Randeep Hooda:
Movies.

Interviewer:
Wow. What is your favorite place? Rohtak or Mumbai?

Randeep Hooda:
Gandhi, Savarkar, Rohtak, Mumbai. What are you saying?

Interviewer:
You’re laughing and saying what is that.

Randeep Hooda:
Both. One is my house of soil and the other is my house of destiny.

Interviewer:
Beautiful. Tell me, who do you think is the best politician? There are only two today. One is the ruling and the other is the opposition. Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi?

Randeep Hooda:
Thank God you gave me this option, Mr. Narendra Modi.

Interviewer:
Thank you so much.

Randeep Hooda:
Thank you, thank you. I hope you enjoyed it.

Interviewer:
With a big round of applause, once again.

Randeep Hooda: Thank you very much. Thank you.
Interviewer: Hooda Ji, thank you for being here at the Rising Bharat Summit. Thank you so much.