Showing posts with label Randeep Hooda horses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Randeep Hooda horses. Show all posts
Randeep Hooda mourns the death of his horse Simply Supreme
7:51 AM
Itishree Misra (BOMBAY TIMES; November 23, 2016)
Randeep Hooda is mourning
the death of his horse, Simply Supreme. He lost his favourite
four-legged friend last month. “Supreme's death is painful,“ admits the
actor, who also plans to dedicate a café and an arena in Gurgaon to his
horse who was with him for six years.
“I had the good fortune of riding Simply Supreme; he's won me at least five national medals in show jumping. In fact, I was planning to compete as a team with him in the nationals this year too and that's why I had taken him to Gurgaon,“ says Randeep, recalling that on the way, Supreme injured his leg.
“I could see strings of ligaments and tendons. He was recovering but one evening he stopped eating, and eventually passed away,“ sighs Randeep, who couldn't be with him in his last minutes, following a shoot. The horse has found his resting place in Randeep's Gurgaon property where he also plans to make a tombstone for his friend.
“I had the good fortune of riding Simply Supreme; he's won me at least five national medals in show jumping. In fact, I was planning to compete as a team with him in the nationals this year too and that's why I had taken him to Gurgaon,“ says Randeep, recalling that on the way, Supreme injured his leg.
“I could see strings of ligaments and tendons. He was recovering but one evening he stopped eating, and eventually passed away,“ sighs Randeep, who couldn't be with him in his last minutes, following a shoot. The horse has found his resting place in Randeep's Gurgaon property where he also plans to make a tombstone for his friend.
Matheran's injured horses find a friend in Randeep Hooda
7:49 AM
Randeep Hooda makes a case for stabling and treating the animals right during a trip to the hill station
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 24, 2016)
A week ago, Randeep Hooda was shocked when Adhuna Akhtar who is a
fellow member of the Mahalaxmi riders' club sent him a video on Whatsapp
which came with a plea to save horses from ill-treatment in Matheran.
The actor who owns several champion horses and is a vocal animal lover,
immediately took off with his friend and another club member, Adil
Gandhi and his son Riyaad, with medicines for the horses many of whom
sported open, painful sores in the video.
"These are basically load horses which carry goods for hotels, shops and villagers up the hills. Their load has gone up since the iconic toy train was stopped following a derailment. Some of the smaller horses are lugging three-six gas cylinders on one trip. Even when the train operated, because it ran on diesel, it refused to carry gas cylinders," Randeep explains.
Unfortunately, alerted that this incriminating video was circulating on the social network, the owners spirited away the animals before the actor and his friends arrived last Saturday, June 18. "But Roxanne who runs an animal shelter in Matheran showed us some of the other animals, many of them riding horses, with lesser injuries, and we got them treated. We left behind the medicines for the others," says Randeep, adding that he is not a rabble-rousing animal activist and understands that these horses are a source of livelihood for their owners who don't hurt them intentionally. "We want to educate them to look after these horses better or they won't last long."
He bemoans the fact that Matheran is a unique hill station where the Gram Panchayat, the Nagar Palika and the Forest Department are in conflict and as a result the animals suffer. "Like traffic rules, we need some horse rules there and have urged the cops to be more vigilant, ensure the animals are not being over-burdened and the law flouted. After the train stopped, more cars are going up and in the crush for parking space there are no stables for the horses," he sighs.
Is he planning another trip there? Randeep explains that this one was to put pressure on the authorities but now he will leave it to the Gandhis, some animals lovers from Pune and NGOs from Delhi to carry the good work forward. "I have adopted some horses like these that were ailing but how many can I adopt? The solution is to stable these horses and get the owners to treat them right," he signs off on an optimistic note.
It's easy to take off your clothes, but it's hard to bare your soul-Randeep Hooda
4:16 PM
Neha Maheshwri Bhagat (BOMBAY TIMES; May 16, 2016)
My first interview in a
stable and I really made hay while the sun shone. Get the drift? Yes,
I met the dashing Randeep Hooda at the place he likes most - amongst his
horses (Mahalaxmi Race Course, Mumbai). He often takes time off from
the promotional schedules for his upcoming film, Sarbjit, to pamper and
train his horses.
He may come across as a macho Jat with a devil-may-care attitude, but underneath the tough exterior is a heart filled with empathy for those around him. And his bonding with Sarabjit Singh's sister Dalbir Kaur is a testimony to that. In an unrestrained chat with Bombay Times, he speaks about his journey in Bollywood, being an emotional person and his growth as an actor.
You love your horses as much as you love your movies...
If it were not for my horses, my career wouldn't have been resurrected (laughs). I was offered Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai right here (Mahalaxmi Race Course). The horses are as much a part of my growth as my movies. For me, films are not just a means for making money or fame, but there is something I learn from each one of them. Every character enriches me. I go through an emotional journey while playing various characters, especially Sarbjit for his extreme emotions and situations in all aspects - physically, mentally and emotionally; it's unimaginable.
Would you call Sarbjit your most challenging role so far?
I have been equally involved in all my projects, but Sarbjit has certainly been a lot more emotionally involving. I had to go through it all over again while dubbing. Dalbir and the family's struggles are well documented in the media, while Sarabjit's isn't. Since 23 years, the only reference point we have is one photograph, some letters and a minute-long video with 30 seconds muted, of him confessing his crime when he is looking drugged out. The real challenge was how to go about it as there are no blueprints.
So, what's more difficult to play: a real or an imaginary character?
Both have their pros and cons. An actor enjoys freedom to instill a lot more of himself while playing a fictitious character, but in real characters, you have to find a lot more of them in you. The job is the same and you have to play to the script.
What has been your biggest learning from this character?
After this film, I feel I share a better relationship with Sarabjit's family as well as my own. It's a real value addition to life. Daarji, who plays my father in the film, died after we finished the shoot (shows a picture with him). Such incidents take away a part of you, but give you a lot more in return. It makes you recognise the value of what you are getting, instead of pushing you to run after what you don't have. We take little things like fresh air, sunlight, human touch and conversation for granted.
Did you ever feel that the focus was more on your physical transformation than the emotional involvement?
My approach has been the same ever since I started acting, but it has come to the fore now probably due to the drastic transformation and weight loss. It's easy to take off your clothes, but it's hard to bare your soul. There are times when you go beyond your job, and this one is above my pay cheque. I always say that the physical transformation was a small part. The bigger challenge was to imagine what happens to a guy convicted wrongly for 18 years - to be on the death row, to live with the fear that you will be killed any day and to bear the brunt of the conflict between the two warring nations. It's against human rights to have somebody in shackles for 18 years.
How did it feel when you learnt that Dalbir suggested your name for the title role?
I didn't pay attention back then. I had seen Sarabjit in the news. Later, somebody forwarded an article to me about Dalbir and the kids wanting me to play Sarabjit in his biopic. I was unaware that a movie on him was being made till I got a call from director Omung Kumar. The biggest reward for me is that Dalbir wants me to offer my shoulder to carry her body when she dies.
We heard that you have formed a strong bond with her in real life.
I was shooting a scene in the cell, when somebody whispered that Dalbirji is here. After the scene, I went to check the monitor, and I sat on the chair next to her. We looked at each other and we were in tears. It was overwhelming. I just hugged her and she started kissing me. Since then we have formed a bond. I tease her and pull her cheeks and hair. I am still in touch with her.
Her role is being played by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Anything you discovered about Ash?
After working with her, I realised that she is loving, motherly and a protective sister. I don't know if people are aware of that side of her. Like Dalbir, she, too, is a strong woman.
The multi-starrer films you have featured in have worked better than your solo projects...
They were bigger projects and were bound to do that much business in terms of the idea and people involved. Most of my films have suffered because they were different, though they have been rated high. Along with presenting something relatable, the real challenge is to make your film stand out in this clutter. The fate of the movie is not in my hands, sometimes the inexperience of producers doesn't get it across to people.
Do you believe that belonging to the Rs 200-crore club is the parameter for an actor's success?
That's called super success. Ultimately, it's every artiste's dream to reach out to as many people as possible. No one wants to create art in the bathroom and not show it to the world. I am a selfish actor and my deepest desire is that I want my art to reach to as many people as possible.
Does it bother you when actors who are not as talented as you get ahead owing to their clout?
I would not compare my journey with anybody else's. Mine has been full of ups and downs, but these things don't matter if you are just involved in your work. Funnily, I had no ambition after doing the film D. It was a big achievement for a small-town guy, to play the most dreaded gangster in his first leading part. That was an 'I made it' moment for me. At that time, I didn't think of it as a career. And the definition of 'have I made it?' keeps changing. Back then I didn't have work for three years. I believed there was no point playing a character if it wasn't involving because I'd either suck at it or it wouldn't result into anything great. The hardest part for an actor is not acting, but to get a job. And that's when I really got interested in horses. I started show-jumping around the country and earned around nine national medals. That became my life. I am glad that I didn't sit at home and fret about not getting work.
So, when did people start taking you seriously?
Maybe, not the top producers and directors, but I have always met a lot of people who are excited about working with me. There was never lack of work, but there was no one to teach me how to grow in my career. That's where I felt like an outsider because I didn't have anyone to guide me.
You do films eying commercial success and then there are projects closer to your heart. What pulls you more?
I don't look at them as commercial or non-commercial as my job in both is the same. I don't really think I have been an art-house actor either. I am walking the middle path which I think is best.
You don't seem to have set a benchmark for yourself?
I am my own benchmark. Am I getting better, thinking deeper, feeling more, recognising life and able to relate to more diverse things? That's the benchmark for me.
He may come across as a macho Jat with a devil-may-care attitude, but underneath the tough exterior is a heart filled with empathy for those around him. And his bonding with Sarabjit Singh's sister Dalbir Kaur is a testimony to that. In an unrestrained chat with Bombay Times, he speaks about his journey in Bollywood, being an emotional person and his growth as an actor.
You love your horses as much as you love your movies...
If it were not for my horses, my career wouldn't have been resurrected (laughs). I was offered Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai right here (Mahalaxmi Race Course). The horses are as much a part of my growth as my movies. For me, films are not just a means for making money or fame, but there is something I learn from each one of them. Every character enriches me. I go through an emotional journey while playing various characters, especially Sarbjit for his extreme emotions and situations in all aspects - physically, mentally and emotionally; it's unimaginable.
Would you call Sarbjit your most challenging role so far?
I have been equally involved in all my projects, but Sarbjit has certainly been a lot more emotionally involving. I had to go through it all over again while dubbing. Dalbir and the family's struggles are well documented in the media, while Sarabjit's isn't. Since 23 years, the only reference point we have is one photograph, some letters and a minute-long video with 30 seconds muted, of him confessing his crime when he is looking drugged out. The real challenge was how to go about it as there are no blueprints.
So, what's more difficult to play: a real or an imaginary character?
Both have their pros and cons. An actor enjoys freedom to instill a lot more of himself while playing a fictitious character, but in real characters, you have to find a lot more of them in you. The job is the same and you have to play to the script.
What has been your biggest learning from this character?
After this film, I feel I share a better relationship with Sarabjit's family as well as my own. It's a real value addition to life. Daarji, who plays my father in the film, died after we finished the shoot (shows a picture with him). Such incidents take away a part of you, but give you a lot more in return. It makes you recognise the value of what you are getting, instead of pushing you to run after what you don't have. We take little things like fresh air, sunlight, human touch and conversation for granted.
Did you ever feel that the focus was more on your physical transformation than the emotional involvement?
My approach has been the same ever since I started acting, but it has come to the fore now probably due to the drastic transformation and weight loss. It's easy to take off your clothes, but it's hard to bare your soul. There are times when you go beyond your job, and this one is above my pay cheque. I always say that the physical transformation was a small part. The bigger challenge was to imagine what happens to a guy convicted wrongly for 18 years - to be on the death row, to live with the fear that you will be killed any day and to bear the brunt of the conflict between the two warring nations. It's against human rights to have somebody in shackles for 18 years.
How did it feel when you learnt that Dalbir suggested your name for the title role?
I didn't pay attention back then. I had seen Sarabjit in the news. Later, somebody forwarded an article to me about Dalbir and the kids wanting me to play Sarabjit in his biopic. I was unaware that a movie on him was being made till I got a call from director Omung Kumar. The biggest reward for me is that Dalbir wants me to offer my shoulder to carry her body when she dies.
We heard that you have formed a strong bond with her in real life.
I was shooting a scene in the cell, when somebody whispered that Dalbirji is here. After the scene, I went to check the monitor, and I sat on the chair next to her. We looked at each other and we were in tears. It was overwhelming. I just hugged her and she started kissing me. Since then we have formed a bond. I tease her and pull her cheeks and hair. I am still in touch with her.
Her role is being played by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Anything you discovered about Ash?
After working with her, I realised that she is loving, motherly and a protective sister. I don't know if people are aware of that side of her. Like Dalbir, she, too, is a strong woman.
The multi-starrer films you have featured in have worked better than your solo projects...
They were bigger projects and were bound to do that much business in terms of the idea and people involved. Most of my films have suffered because they were different, though they have been rated high. Along with presenting something relatable, the real challenge is to make your film stand out in this clutter. The fate of the movie is not in my hands, sometimes the inexperience of producers doesn't get it across to people.
Do you believe that belonging to the Rs 200-crore club is the parameter for an actor's success?
That's called super success. Ultimately, it's every artiste's dream to reach out to as many people as possible. No one wants to create art in the bathroom and not show it to the world. I am a selfish actor and my deepest desire is that I want my art to reach to as many people as possible.
Does it bother you when actors who are not as talented as you get ahead owing to their clout?
I would not compare my journey with anybody else's. Mine has been full of ups and downs, but these things don't matter if you are just involved in your work. Funnily, I had no ambition after doing the film D. It was a big achievement for a small-town guy, to play the most dreaded gangster in his first leading part. That was an 'I made it' moment for me. At that time, I didn't think of it as a career. And the definition of 'have I made it?' keeps changing. Back then I didn't have work for three years. I believed there was no point playing a character if it wasn't involving because I'd either suck at it or it wouldn't result into anything great. The hardest part for an actor is not acting, but to get a job. And that's when I really got interested in horses. I started show-jumping around the country and earned around nine national medals. That became my life. I am glad that I didn't sit at home and fret about not getting work.
So, when did people start taking you seriously?
Maybe, not the top producers and directors, but I have always met a lot of people who are excited about working with me. There was never lack of work, but there was no one to teach me how to grow in my career. That's where I felt like an outsider because I didn't have anyone to guide me.
You do films eying commercial success and then there are projects closer to your heart. What pulls you more?
I don't look at them as commercial or non-commercial as my job in both is the same. I don't really think I have been an art-house actor either. I am walking the middle path which I think is best.
You don't seem to have set a benchmark for yourself?
I am my own benchmark. Am I getting better, thinking deeper, feeling more, recognising life and able to relate to more diverse things? That's the benchmark for me.
Randeep Hooda finds his Dream Girl
8:08 AM
Actor brings home his first mare, but has to give the Cannes premiere of the Sarabjit biopic a miss
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 13, 2016)
At the end of almost every interview Randeep Hooda is asked about the current love of his life so now the actor has got himself his first mare, Dream Girl, and points to her when the question crops up. She's a warmblooded, Holsteiner breed, specialist show jumper from Germany and, he admits, that there's a lot of love and physical contact happening between the two. "My dog Candy brought female energy into my home, Dream Girl has brought female energy into my stable. She has a great temperament and is a sweetie pie," he asserts.
You wonder why it took him so long to play the field with a mare and he explains that they are different from stallions because of their cycles. But he's known Dream Girl who belonged to his friend Sanjay Dhanak for a while now and had his heart set on her. But Sanjay was not ready to part with her. Then, one night his show jumping coach, Colonel SH Ahlawat told him that she was up for grabs and Randeep exclaimed, "Done, I want her right now!" And she exchanged hands between friends.
He is quick to point out that he doesn't go for champion horses to win championships but horses with character, breeding and some problem so he can nurture them with love and care. "Ranji has one eye like Maharaja Ranjit Singh after whom he and the Ranji trophy is named, Cupa had a bad hawk or elbow joint in the hind leg and Johnny Walker was hairless and a bag of bones when I got him. Even as a child I brought injured strays home," he recalls. Ranji in fact developed lemonitis and came back from the dead thanks to the efforts of Mumbai-based vetenary surgeon Feroze Khambatta who was treating and even got a mechanical prosthetic leg for Shaktiman but couldn't save the horse. Dream Girl also has a little problem that Feroze is looking into. "I'm always mindful that no horse of mine should be pushed beyond a physical or medical condition in the quest for medals and hopeful that one day Dream Girl will gift him a beautiful foal," he smiles.
Randeep had to give the Cannes premiere of Sarbjit a miss because the doctor advised him against travelling so soon after his appendicitis surgery. "I've been to the fest before, many times," he points out, having just finished some radio interviews for the upcoming biopic. He admits that it was a challenge living the life of a man of whom there are just a couple of photographs before his imprisonment in existence and one from the prison along with a 30-second video when he confessed to being Manjeet Singh Dhillon.
"I started the process of becoming Sarabjit with a photograph of him which his sister Dalbir Kaur used when campaigning for his release at dharnas. I'd already started losing weight so stuffed oranges in my cheeks to make them look fuller. When the trailer came out, there was a hue and cry on the social media about how we had used a picture of the real Sarabjit Singh till my director Omung Kumar pointed out that it was a picture of me as Sarabjit," reveals the actor, talking about the uncanny resemblance between the two.
He has completely won over Dalbir Kaur, Sarabajit's wife Sukhpreet and his daughters, Swapandeep Singh and Poonam. He invited them to the dubbing theatre and showed them three scenes from before Sarabjit went to prison, then refused to show them more. "But those three scenes had them laughing, tearing and rolling on the couch as they brought back many fond memories. Swapandeep pointed out to me that her father who'd been with her till she was two, used to call her Thandu and not Thallu as I was saying," says Randeep who rectified the research error by redubbing those scenes.
Ponam was still in her mother's womb when her father crossed the border, was convicted as a spy and imprisoned. She only got to see him when with her aunt, uncle, mother and sister she met him in jail after 18 years, four days before he was to be hanged. "For me, seeing their reactions was the biggest takeaway from the film. That's what made the starving and effort worth it. Dalbirji told me that when the girls saw me joking about attendance in the Laal Rang trailer, they called me 'naughty papa'," he grins.
Buzz is, Randeep is now playing gangster Abu Salem in another biopic. He is clueless but points out that he heard about Sarbjit first when Dalbir and his daughters said in an interview that Randeep was playing him. "I haven't been approached for another biopic yet, maybe I will learn about it from someone else too," he jokes. Touche!
Heart-broken Randeep Hooda to leave behind his horse during 2-month shoot in Malaysia
8:11 AM
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 20, 2015)
Randeep Hooda is all set to
take off to Malaysia for two months for Deepak Tijori's
thriller, Do Lafzon Ki Kahaani, and his puppy love is already
devastated. The actor met Candy six years ago when the pooch was
wandering outside the Mumbai airport one hot summer day when the actor
had gone to pick up his visiting parents. “We met at the airport and
have been together since,“ he smiles. The actor admits that he had
wished for a dog called Rocky or Rambo but now that he has Candy, he
isn't complaining.
Candy has been with him on shoots all over the city, even the country, and this time too he was all set to pay the price of being with his pet. “But then I discovered that Malaysia has a really long quarantine period and I didn't want to leave Candy alone with strangers. By the time she was out, it would be time for me to return and then she'd have to be in quarantine again. So, I decided to fly down my parents to Mumbai instead so that mom can babysit Candy,“ he sighs, not looking forward to his pet seeing him packing for the trip because then she'll inevitably start pawing him, with a doleful expression in her eyes.
Candy doesn't boast of great pedigree. She's a desi mongrel with a touch of Dalmatian, he believes, pointing to the faded spots on her white hide. “But she's super intelligent and understands that `Action' means you stop wandering around and `Cut' means you can carry on,“ he says proudly. “Everyone loves her, and like me she loves everyone except ladies with big handbags. She's even made friends with my horses and goes with me to the race course everyday when I'm in Mumbai. She's my true soulmate... Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge for real!“
Candy has been with him on shoots all over the city, even the country, and this time too he was all set to pay the price of being with his pet. “But then I discovered that Malaysia has a really long quarantine period and I didn't want to leave Candy alone with strangers. By the time she was out, it would be time for me to return and then she'd have to be in quarantine again. So, I decided to fly down my parents to Mumbai instead so that mom can babysit Candy,“ he sighs, not looking forward to his pet seeing him packing for the trip because then she'll inevitably start pawing him, with a doleful expression in her eyes.
Candy doesn't boast of great pedigree. She's a desi mongrel with a touch of Dalmatian, he believes, pointing to the faded spots on her white hide. “But she's super intelligent and understands that `Action' means you stop wandering around and `Cut' means you can carry on,“ he says proudly. “Everyone loves her, and like me she loves everyone except ladies with big handbags. She's even made friends with my horses and goes with me to the race course everyday when I'm in Mumbai. She's my true soulmate... Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge for real!“
I am enjoying myself thoroughly in Kick-Randeep Hooda
7:51 AM
DNA (May 27, 2014)
Randeep Hooda may be associated with deep, intense films like his last release Highway and his upcoming Main Aur Charles, in which he plays the notorious serial killer Charles Sobhraj, but the actor prefers working in light entertainers to the serious ones. Randeep says, “Deep characters take a lot out of me. It is also difficult to shake off these characters after the film is done. It happend with Highway as well. Though I loved playing that role, give me a Kick (he’s acting in the Salman Khan starrer) anyday. It’s great fun to do such films once in a while. I am enjoying myself thoroughly in Kick.” But he has a remedy for when his roles get too hot and heavy, “My horses! After acting in films like Highway, I spend a couple of days with my horses (he has six!) and I am fine.”
Riding a horse is like meditation; horses are in our DNA-Randeep Hooda
9:49 PM
Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; December 1, 2013)
Talk about your horses? I have five horses — Ranji (he has one eye and is therefore named after Maharaja Ranjit Singh), Johnny Walker (when he came to me he was not strong enough, and when I rode on him, he would walk as if he was drunk), Simply Supreme (one of the best race horses in the country that originally belonged to Cyrus Poonawala; he is now a great show jumper and is 14 years old), Rommel (named after General in Hitler’s army, is my desert fox and is a sweet horse, and I keep him mostly for my friends’ kids if they come, as he is safer and does not misbehave too much) and Atilla (like Atilla the Hun, right now he is Atilla the puppy). I can recognise them and so can they.
What does a horse give you emotionally? I feel very meditative when I ride. A horse does not know whether my movie is a hit or a flop or what is happening in my relationship. They are very neutral and if I am not respectful to them, they will have me on my ass in no time.
Are you angrier than your horse? You can’t get angry with a horse. They will get angry and frisky with you. They can really sense your mood, so when I am coming here I need to calm myself. I am not an angry guy. It’s just the roles I do that impact my personality. I usually ride under the lights when nobody is there. There is nothing outside the arena and there is just me, my horse and my dog Candy.
Why Candy? As she gets open spaces to play around and she is very good with the horses. I can give her the reins of a horse in her mouth and she will graze the horse.
How did you take to horses? I am from a sports school in Haryana. I used to be a swimmer but had chronic bronchitis, so switched to horses. Also watching Clint Eastwood movies influenced me.
Is there a macho element to horse riding? It is a very macho sport and it is not for the faint-hearted. In India, the martial races of our community like Sardars, Jats or Rajputs ride horses more than others. Keeping a horse is both, expensive and time-consuming. A horse will do what you want him to do. It teaches you leadership with empathy. Because it is a herd animal, you have to make him feel that you are the stallion, that you are the boss. You can’t be too harsh with it as it will lose heart. He has to be supple and has to do all you want him to without you having to force him. You can’t force the horse into anything. All kids should ride horses. Firstly, it brings them out of their air-conditioners and brings them in touch with air and sun. Also, it will build their immunity system. It is compulsory for all diplomats, NDA and in the National Military Academy to ride. If you cannot control a horse with enough love and leadership, how can you control a constituency or a regiment. Horses are in our DNA. We used them way before cars for commuting.
You are not as powerful as the horse, so how do you control it? By carrot and stick method and being light with it. I ride with light hands, even though I know the bit is in his mouth. The horse’s body does not have hard joints and has flexible joints, so the more you make your body fluid, the better it is. In riding, your knees ankles, hips, waist, shoulders, wrists, elbows, fingers, head everything has to be independent of each other. I could be putting pressure from my heels and only my right hand fingers could be tight, whereas the rest of the body could be relaxed. So that’s the weight pattern of the horse.
Have you been hurt badly due to riding? Yes, of course. I have a rod in my right leg and was in bed for eight months. I was playing polo and being over ambitious and being a show off, which you should never be on a horse, and was trying to go for a ball that was too far away from me. I leaned too much and my horse slipped and it fell over me. To tell you the truth, it knocked the wind out of me for a few seconds, but I was soon trying to find out how I could get back on to the horse. I could not walk and used to limp, but still won a silver in a competition at the NDA in Pune. I tied the stirrup with the shoelaces to my boot, so that it seemed I was on it. This was the time just before I did Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, when I was in bed thinking my career was over and did not know what else to do till I met Milan Luthria, coincidentally, at the same place where we are talking today.
Milan (Luthria), how did you both meet? We met on the railing right here. Randeep was riding and I was watching him. He came here as I had met him in Naseer’s house, who asked me to help him get a form. I saw him and told him about the role in Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai. He hemmed and hawed and said no and I don’t know what made me keep my ego aside and I told him strongly to do the role. He asked me, ‘Why should I play a cop? I don’t want to play Iftekhar.’’ I said, ‘Even Vinod Khanna played a cop in Amar Akbar Anthony. I promise you will look kickass.’ He said yes. That meeting at the railings of the race course changed his life completely.
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