Randeep Hooda would rather be a bikini killer on screen than go back to being a ladies' man off i
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 27, 2015)
Randeep Hooda's first memory of the 'bikini killer' is from the time he was studying at the Motilal Nehru School of Sports in Sonepat Haryana, as a ten-year-old. The actor remembers hearing an announcement that revealed that a criminal called Charles Shobraj had escaped from prison.
"Everyone was advised to stay indoors. We used to scare each other, saying, dekho Sobhraj aa gaya," the actor, who plays the notorious serial killer in Prawaal Raman's Main Aur Charles, guffaws.
The surreality of the fact that he is playing the character over twenty years after he first heard about him, is not lost on Randeep.
"Sobhraj was glamorous, dangerous and presumably killed people, but he is remembered as Mr Charming and continues to be loved by many. He's quite an intriguing character," asserts the actor.
After shooting for the film in Delhi, Thailand, Udaipur and Goa, Randeep will meet the real Amod Kanth, the investigative officer who handled the case (being played by English Vinglish actor Adil Hussain). "Amod's a tough cop who handled the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, the Harshad Mehta scam and the brutal gunning down of Jessica Lal. I've never been this nervous about meeting anyone. It feels like I'm meeting my sautan," he laughs.
The actor worked hard on his French but had to tone it down while filming since the makers wanted to cater to a more eclectic audience.
Randeep vividly recalls filming in Udaipur - the unit shot inside a prison and once the doors closed, he felt like he was incarcerated for real.
"I filmed with real convicts, which was nerve-wracking, while we had a blast during the entire Goa schedule," Randeep reminisces.
Known as quite the ladies man in real life, the actor created a lot of buzz when he kissed co-star Richa Chadha at the film's launch.
He is quick to set the record straight when it comes to his personal life. Turns out, the actor is not keen on tying the knot anytime soon. "I am married to my work and have no plans to settle down," he reveals, adding that he thinks he is charming, just not as charming as Charles Shobraj.
Randeep also recently wrapped up Yeh Laal Rang, helmed by Youngistaan director Syed Ahmed Afzal. "I had to unlearn everything for the film and go back to being the boy I was, since I play a Haryanvi jatt in this one," he says.
The actor will start preparing for his role as Sarabjit in Omung Kumar's upcoming biopic next month and is excited to work with Aishwarya Rai, who is the leading lady in the film.
"Who wouldn't be excited about working with Aishwarya? I am also going to work on my look aggressively," he insists.
Randeep, who played the cop Himanshu Tyagi in the Salman Khan blockbuster Kick, says that he has not been offered a role in the sequel yet. "It'll be great if they want me in it, otherwise I wish them all the best," Randeep signs off.
