Randeep Hooda has worked with Salman Khan in three films and Sunny Deol in Jatt. He squared off with Chris Hemsworth in Extraction and will be seen doing action with John Cena in Matchbox next year.
Over the past five years, Randeep Hooda has emerged as a formidable action star, whether it was his Hollywood debut film, Sam Hargrave’s 2020 Netflix India action thriller Extraction or, more recently, his role as the antagonist in Gopichand Malineni’s Bollywood directorial debut Jatt. Hooda has also worked with seasoned action stars from around the world, whether it was Chris Hemsworth and John Cena in the West, or Sunny Deol and Salman Khan at home.
In an interview with Mid-Day, Randeep said, “The action is designed around them (Sunny Deol and Salman Khan). They are both amazing. When you see them, you feel they can do it.” He further added, “They are stars even before the internet came. They were rarities. Now, you know what every star is doing or eating, it’s all available on their social media. They have their own personalities, 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 where the action is designed around them, rather than trying to fit into the choreography. He pointed out that Hollywood action stars like John Cena and Chris Hemsworth have a different approach in comparison.
Randeep reasoned, “The difference is that they rehearse for weeks and weeks before they do it. Chris and I were rehearsing for six weeks before we did it. It feels real. It’s like theatre with rehearsals. They’re not worshipped like our Indian male stars, and maybe that makes it real somewhere.” When he went to the sets of Extraction and did a long action sequence with Chris Hemsworth, Randeep Hooda realised that he had never punched anyone on a film set despite his macho onscreen image.
“That was 2019. So for 19 years, I had this tough guy image in various roles, but I never punched anybody. I had to learn how to take a punch and how to give one. It’s just like dancing. You think you’ve done so much, and then one morning, you wake up and realise, ‘Yaar, I haven’t done anything (laughs),'” Randeep said.
Randeep will soon reunite with Extraction director Sam Hargrave in his action adventure comedy Matchbox, which also stars John Cena. It is set to release in theatres next year. Randeep recently worked with Sunny Deol in Jatt, while he has 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).
Randeep Hooda also claimed that Salman Khan is his friend now. “He is very intelligent and creative, and I think he is a bit aloof now. He has given me a lot of advice over the years, which I haven’t followed, about how to be nice and helpful to people. But he gives you advice with all sincerity and wants the best for you,” Randeep said.
