Randeep Hooda

Biography

Randeep Hooda (pronounced [rəɳdiːp ɦʊɖːa]; born 20 August 1976) is an Indian actor known for his work predominantly in Hindi cinema and a few English films. Hooda made his Hindi film debut with Monsoon Wedding. 

He had a turning point in his career with the gangster film Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010) and gained critical acclaim for starring in Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster (2011), Rang Rasiya (2014), Highway (2014) and Sarbjit (2016).

He is also known for appearing in the successful films Jannat 2 (2012), Jism 2 (2012), Cocktail (2012), Kick (2014), Sultan (2016), and Baaghi 2 (2018). In 2020, he made his Hollywood debut with Extraction.

In addition to his film career, Hooda has acted in numerous stage plays and 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 organized by the Equestrian Federation of India.

Hooda was born on 20 August 1976, in Rohtak, Haryana to Dr. Ranbir Hooda and Asha Hooda, in a Hindu family. 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 traveled extensively, and resided in the Middle East for the most part. 

He has an elder sister, Anjali Hooda Sangwan, a medical (MBBS, MD) doctor trained in India and in the United States, and a younger brother Sandeep Hooda, a Software Engineer working in Singapore.

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 known 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 modeling 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. 

Besides films, Randeep Hooda came into the limelight because of his relationship with Sushmita Sen, with whom he eventually broke up.