Randeep Hooda grew hair for 3 years for film on Saragarhi, apologized at a gurudwara before cutting it for Extraction

Actor Randeep Hooda has said that he was preparing for a film on Battle of Saragarhi when his Hollywood debut, Extraction, came his way.

Actor Randeep Hooda, who made his Hollywood debut with Netflix film Extraction last year, has said he was actually preparing for his film on Battle of Saragarhi when the Hollywood project came his way. He added that he grew his beard for the film, and had promised at Amritsar's Golden Temple that he would cut his hair only after completing the historical.

Randeep Hooda in a still from Extraction.

Randeep, added, that he apologised in the temple before cutting his hair and beard when he realised that the period drama was going nowhere. Randeep has often talked about the need for the film but never revealed why it was shelved.

Responding to the appreciation that he received for Extraction, Randeep told a leading daily, "I'm very grateful that I got to work with such an amazing cast and crew. I was preparing for something else. For three years, I had not done any work, I grew a beard and my hair and I promised at the Golden Temple that I will not cut my Kesh till I complete the movie (the shelved film on Battle Of Saragarhi)."

"Then I tried to refuse that movie. But then I literally looked open my eyes a bit wider and looked at the situation, that movie was not going anywhere. So I went to the Gurdwara, apologised, cut my kesh (hair), and went on to this movie, and I didn't realise it's going to be such a big action film. When I read the script, there was a description of the action, but I didn't know it was gonna be like that," he added.

About the subject of his now shelved film, Randeep had told Hindustan Times in a 2019 interview, "I think the story of the Battle of Saragarhi is still begging for a better film despite all the films out there.” By this time, Akshay Kumar-starrer Kesari and web show Mohit Raina's 21 Sarfarosh: Saragarhi 1897 had released.

Randeep was most recently seen as the antagonist in Salman Khan's latest outing, Radhe Your Most Wanted Bhai. Directed by Prabhudheva, the movie saw a hybrid release with a limited theatrical release in India and a decent show abroad. The movie saw a digital release in India and was available across various digital platforms under the pay-per-view model.