Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; February 11, 2020)

Last seen in Baaghi 2 (2018), Randeep Hooda is all set to end his break from movies with director Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal. In a chat with BT, the actor talks about working with Imtiaz, the young star cast of the film and missing out on the sports drama, ‘83. Read On...

This is your second film with Imtiaz Ali, after Highway (2014). Was the experience any different this time around? Also, what should the audience expect from your reunion?
It is always a joy to work with Imtiaz, as he is organic in his approach. Talking about Love Aaj Kal, working on this film was a different experience altogether. The environment on the set was more fun, as this is a lighter film. Even Highway had romance, but it was tragic. It showed the complexities in a relationship between two individuals, who belong to different strata of society. But in Love Aaj Kal, they are from the same strata. Also, compared to Highway, I have a lot more dialogues in Love Aaj Kal. Highway was a well-made film, but the shooting process was not enjoyable. My character had a lot of emotions, which he was unable to express. To bring those expressions on screen was taxing. When Imtiaz narrated the script of Love Aaj Kal to me, I liked the concept of love set in two eras — in the 90s and the present times. As far as ‘kal’ is concerned, in the 90s, there was no social media, and people weren’t so casual about physical intimacy. The ‘aaj’, on the other hand, is high on finding love through social media and dating apps.

You have been appreciated for your performance in films like Highway and Sarbjit (2016), among others. While one would expect you to sign more solo-lead projects, most of your outings feature an ensemble cast. Have you ever felt that you have not got your due as an actor?
Well, that has always been the case with me. I was appreciated in Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai (2010), but there was a lull post that. It was the same after Highway, Main Aur Charles (2015) and Sarbjit as well. I am just happy that in my journey as an actor, I got to portray a plethora of characters and work with many talented directors. Every movie has been special for me. After Sarbjit, I felt that I should take my craft a notch higher and signed Battle Of Saragarhi. I immersed myself in it, and did not take up any other projects for the next two years. However, the film didn’t happen and I ended up being on a hiatus. Then, Baaghi 2 happened in 2018 and now, I am back with Love Aaj Kal. In between, I shot for an international project for an OTT platform. I am also currently shooting for Radhe with Salman Khan, with whom I have done films like Kick (2014) and Sultan (2016). As an artiste, I explored my talent, and I am happy about that. However, the one thing that I lost as an actor, and which I am trying to get back, is my vanity (laughs)!

You are often referred to as an actor who goes ‘unnoticed’. Do you think that like most of your contemporaries, you, too, need to go all out on social media, especially when it comes to promoting your work?
I think they call me that because it is hard to make a parody of me. I see people imitating other actors, but maybe, they are unable to pin me down. As far as social media is concerned, there are times when I feel that I need to be more proactive, but at the same time, I strongly believe that your work should speak for itself, rather than you going all out. Having said that, I am active on social media — I put up wildlife pictures on Instagram and address social causes on Twitter. Overall, I want my work to speak for itself and I guess, it has not gone unnoticed to that great an extent.

You have worked with some of the most popular and established names in the industry, including Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Compared to them, how was it working with relatively younger actors like Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan?
It is wonderful to work with a bunch of young actors, as they are high on energy. I like their enthusiasm to learn constantly and their willingness to surrender themselves to the director. In fact, Kartik and Sara were so good that they didn’t seem like newcomers. I had a lot of scenes with Sara, and she is extremely disciplined — she would wake up at 4 am, go to the gym, come on the set, get her hair and make-up done and by the time the camera is ready to roll, she would be ready with her lines. I was really impressed. She would bring healthy food from home, while I would be bingeing on burgers.

Your movie on the Battle Of Saragarhi created a lot of buzz. You grabbed a lot of eyeballs, too, for your look, but the film never released. Likewise, you did a look test for Sanjay Puran Singh’s film on the Indian cricket world cup victory of 1983. You were roped in to play Kapil Dev. The pictures of the look test went viral, but again, that film didn’t work out either...
I had put in a lot of effort for the film based on the Battle of Saragarhi. It is disappointing that all that hard work never reached the audience, and you do feel let down, but what can you do about it? In the end, one has to just pick up the positives and move on. I have imbibed the goodness of the character, and I also got to learn a lot about Sikhism from that project. In terms of ‘83, I would just say that as actors, we sometimes say ‘no’ to projects, but this time, it was the other way around. I wish the team well, and I am sure that it will be a great film to watch.

When Kabir Khan took over the reins of the film from Sanjay, did they get in touch with you?
No, there was no communication with me at all.