Amidst promotions of his upcoming film Laal Rang and shooting with Salman Khan for his next, Sultan, Randeep Hooda has hardly got a chance to take it easy. He was suffering from acute pain for a while now and during the shoot in New Delhi on Sunday, Salman noticed him popping a painkiller. “When Salman learnt the reason, he suggested that Randeep should undergo a check-up. But when the latter expressed his apprehensions that their film's schedule may suffer, Salman admonished him saying 'Koi aur date nikaal lenge shoot ki',“ reveals our source.

Soon Randeep got himself admitted into a hospital in the Capital. His parents were constantly by his side. Our source further adds, “The appendectomy took place late Sunday evening. The doctors want to keep him under observation for a few days before discharging him.“ While we wish him a speedy recovery, we hope he is discharged in time for the release of his film Laal Rang this Friday.
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Actor will be back on his feet in a few days but has been asked to stay away from strenuous exercise for three weeks
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 19, 2016)

At 2 pm on Monday, Randeep Hooda underwent an appendicitis operation. As he was being wheeled into the operation theatre, the 38-year-old actor asked his sister, Dr Anjali Hooda Sangwan, if it was absolutely essential for him to undergo the surgery. She told him firmly that it was because the appendix was inflamed and if not attended to immediately, was in danger of rupturing inside. The hour-long procedure at Delhi's Fortis Hospital went off well. When Randeep gained consciousness his first words were, "Wow, I feel so rested!"

The actor was filming his wrestling drama on Sunday when he was felled by an acute pain. His sister was not on the set but his brother-in-law, Sandeep Sanghwan, was, and Anjali jokes that living with a doctor he has become a compounder himself. Both Randeep's co-star, Salman Khan and Sandeep agreed that things didn't look good and rushed him to hospital.

"He had complained of pain the previous day too. In fact, he had a severe attack two months ago but at the time Randeep was busy with the Sarabjit biopic and put his health on the backburner, choosing to curb the pain with antibiotics. On Sunday, they were shooting a sequence which required him to run up and down the stairs and that probably aggravated things," Anjali informed Mirror.

That same evening her dad, Ranbir Hooda, and she decided that since surgery was inevitable, there was no point in delaying it any longer. "I fixed things up the same night and his namesake, Dr Randeep Wadhwani operated on him yesterday," said Anjali, relieved that her brother was recovering well.

She went on to say that he would be back on his feet in a few days but had been advised to stay off strenuous exercises, and that included riding, for at least three weeks. "Fortunately, the schedule is such that he won't be required to shoot immediately and I think they have canned most of the action sequences," she pointed out.

You wonder if the starvation diet Randeep was on for the Sarabjit biopic, losing 18 kgs in 28 days, was responsible for his second surgery, the first being an operation on his leg a decade ago? Anjali informed that an inflamed appendix is the least expected complication of such a diet but admitted that it could be an after effect. "That's why one is advised to steer clear of crash diets," she warned.

Last October, when Randeep Hooda was getting ready to binge during Diwali, he was told by Omung Kumar, the director of his upcoming biopic Sarbjit, that they'd decided to shoot the portions of Sarbajit in jail earlier than planned. The 39-year-old actor had a month to transform into the skeleton of a starving man confined in a 4 ft x 4 ft prison cell. He lost 18 kg in 28 days.

“I was a muscular 94 kg at the time and while it's easy to burn fat, it's hard to lose muscle. I was expecting to shoot the portions when Sarabjit was a pahalwan in his village and then slowly shed weight. The decision came as a shock and led to a period of physical and mental torture,“ Randeep recalls.

His sister, Dr Anjali Hooda Sangwan, an Obesity, Metabolic Medicine and Clinical Nutrition Specialist put him on a very low calorie diet of proteins and greens with a few cheat days when he could have some starch depending on his activity levels. The diet allowed him between 500-600 calories every day, but varied depending on weight, hydration levels, vitamin deficiency and his body's reaction to the food intake.

“Like I do with everything else, I overdid this too, going on a zero calorie diet without realising the body needs sugar to function. The lack of it almost drove me crazy. I was thinking about food all the time, there were days when I was so hungry, I couldn't sleep. There came a point when I wasn't even allowed an apple and was so emaciated I could barely walk,“ he shudders, admitting that had his sister not monitored his diet and health so closely, he might not have pulled it off. “It's something you do over three-four months, not 28 days.“

In 1990, Sarabjit, a farmer strayed into Pakistan three months after a series of bomb attacks in Lahore and Faisalabad killed 14. He was convicted of terrorism and spying by Pakistan's Supreme Court and sentenced to death in 1991. The execution was repeatedly deferred but on April 26, 2013, he was attacked by fellow inmates in Central Jail Lahore, suffering head injuries, a broken backbone and was in coma. On May 2, his death was announced and his body flown home reportedly with vital organs missing and the skull broken into two.

Some have dismissed Randeep's efforts evident in an exclusive picture in Mirror (February 5) as “touched up“. He insists his sufferings were for real and good for the character. His social life was zero during the shoot. On New Year's eve, he had one drink and it made him dizzy. He had to return home.

“I couldn't even ride my horses, I was so weak I was afraid I'd fall and break my neck,“ he says, glad to get back to 84 kg. He admits it was unwise to attempt two makeovers in one year. Earlier, he'd gone from 77 kg to 94 kg for Do Lafzon Ki Kahani, then lost almost 20 kg for Sarbjit.

What did he crave for most during that phase? “I wanted parathas with white makkhan. And hot chocolate fudge from Nirula's. I would sketch these items, it feels so nice to be able to eat them again,“ he laughs.

Looking forward to travelling with the film to Cannes? “I've done my job, now it's someone else's headache. I used to be attached to my work, but after the recent demise of my friend, Mario Mindou Chung, I've learnt to let go. Time to move on to the next movie.“

It has been a hectic year for Randeep Hooda. He shot three films--Kick, Main Aur Charles and Deepa Mehta's Beeba Boys--and promoted two more-Highway and Rang Rasiya. As 2014 winds up, it's time for a well-deserved break. But Randeep doesn't plan to holiday alone. He will ring in the New Year with his family and his staff.

Revealing his plans, the actor's sister Anjali Hooda Sangwan tells Mirror that they will spend the last days of the year in Goa. Unwilling to go into details, she says that they've booked a boutique hotel for the get-together. “There's Randeep, my parents, my family, my sister-in-law and her family, his staff and their families too,“ she says excitedly.

Also joining in the revelry is Candy, Randeep's puppy love who is extremely possessive about the star. “She's six, the same age as my daughter,“ says Anjali. “Ever since Randeep found her, she's been family. How can we bring in 2015 without Candy?“