Randeep Hooda, who makes his directorial debut with his first home production Swatantra Veer Savarkar, recently opened up about a low phase in his career. In an interaction with Humans of Bombay, the actor spoke about the financial challenges that came up when he had no work. (Also read: Randeep Hooda says Alia Bhatt was ‘terrified’ of him while shooting for Highway: ‘I made sure of that’)
Randeep on Battle of Saragarhi, financial setbacks
In his recent interview, while speaking about his low phase, Randeep said, “11 years out of these three 23 or so odd years I have not been on the set even once a year. Many times I had zero money and I didn't know what I am going to do next. I sold everything in my house, car, microwave and everything but I neve sold my horses. There is an Arabic saying ‘Apni tankha badhao, karcha kam karne se kuch nahi hoga (Increase your income instead of reducing your expenses)’. Once, I sold my horse Ranji for a dear some of money and I just couldn't take it. I returned the cheque and got my horse back. Mental stamina comes from the fact that what else is there. Going through movies like The Battle of Saragarhi where I had grown a full Sikh beard for three years, prepped for Gatka and that movie didn't get completed."
He added, "That was a very low time for me and I was very depressed. It was like life chopped in half because I had to leave that. I almost left Extraction for it. But then I went to Gurudwara and said sorry. Because I had taken a pledge on the Guru Granth Sahib at Amritsar's Golden Temple that ‘Sikhs have given so many sacrifices, I will not cut my Kesh till this movie comes to its conclusion.' Then I moved on. After that it was a struggle because for three years I had no work, I had put on weight. So then I said ok ‘one-step at a time.' My parents were worried. When I did Extraction, I was not fully there. Then you pick yourself again and my parents made me promise not to do it again. Then I did it again in Veer Savarkar’s biopic.”
{{/usCountry}}He added, "That was a very low time for me and I was very depressed. It was like life chopped in half because I had to leave that. I almost left Extraction for it. But then I went to Gurudwara and said sorry. Because I had taken a pledge on the Guru Granth Sahib at Amritsar's Golden Temple that ‘Sikhs have given so many sacrifices, I will not cut my Kesh till this movie comes to its conclusion.' Then I moved on. After that it was a struggle because for three years I had no work, I had put on weight. So then I said ok ‘one-step at a time.' My parents were worried. When I did Extraction, I was not fully there. Then you pick yourself again and my parents made me promise not to do it again. Then I did it again in Veer Savarkar’s biopic.”
{{/usCountry}}Randeep's career
Randeep made his screen debut with Mira Nair's NRI comedy-drama Monsoon Wedding. His first Hindi movie was Ram Gopal Varma's D directed by Vishram Sawant.
Swatantra Veer Savarkar releases on March 22. Directed and co-written by Randeep Hooda with Utkarsh Naithani, the epic-drama is produced by Anand Pandit Motion Pictures and Randeep Hooda Films with Legend Studios and Avak Films.
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