Randeep Hooda

Randeep Hooda (rɳd̪iːp huːɖaː; born 20 August 1973) is an Indian film actor who appears in Hindi-language films. Hooda was born in Rohtak, Haryana; he studied at the Motilal Nehru School at Sonepat, 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 stage productions. Hooda made his Bollywood debut in Monsoon Wedding in 2001, garnering praise for his performance. However, little recognition came his way as he had to wait for four years for his next project, Ram Gopal Varma's D (2005), which too failed to attract much attention. He then appeared in a spate of critically and commercially unsuccessful projects. A turning point came in his career when he 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. Hooda's starring roles in subsequent thrillers Jannat (2012), Jism 2 (2012), and Murder 3 (2013) brought him a slightly higher degree of commercial success. Hooda garnered wider attention and further critical acclaim for his roles in the road drama Highway (2014), and the biopic Sarbjit (2016). His performance in the former earned him the Stardust Award for Best Actor. His biggest commercial success came with the action film Kick (2014), as he continued to draw praise for his performances in Rang Rasiya (2014), Main Aur Charles (2015), and Laal Rang (2016). In addition to his film career, Hooda has acted in numerous stage plays in India. He made his debut as a playwright with an adaptation of Lee Blessing's A Walk in the Woods. Hooda 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. He is also an activist and a blogger.