Renuka Vyavahare (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 6, 2020)

Randeep Hooda’s recent surgery at a city hospital led to a lot of speculation about his health. Clearing the air about his leg surgery, the actor, who is now recuperating at his home, said, “In 2008, I met with a major accident on the polo field. After the incident, I had metal plates and screws inserted in my leg to hold the bones together. I was supposed to take these plates out in a year, but either I didn’t have the money or the time. After living with the metal plates for 12 years, I had to get them removed because my leg got infected.”

Talking about how he was coping with the pain all these years, he said, “I managed to do the action sequences in my movies with the help of painkillers. I didn’t want to tell anyone because then people get too careful around you. I decided to have an elective surgery to end the trauma. Also, there was no shooting because of Coronavirus.”

Randeep said, “I went to the hospital early in the morning and the operation was scheduled for the same day. The surgery also helped me get rid of some of the backache that I have been carrying for 12 years. I have some good action movies lined up, and I wanted to be fit for them and also look after my body more.”

Randeep now has his father, who is a doctor, keeping him company. The actor admits that he did miss the outdoors during the past few months when he was homebound. He shares, “I am an outdoorsy person, and I do miss my jungle trips and horses. But, I could see the environment healing. In these past few months, I caught up on reading and went back to the basics in terms of the craft. It was a good time to introspect. I saw shows, which I didn’t have the time for earlier. I learnt more about photography, Urdu and read plays. I also ate healthier. It was a therapeutic and productive time for me. In the last six months, I caught up with myself beyond the world of movies.”