Randeep Hooda: I've Made Many Mistakes, But I'm Still Here

Randeep Hooda, who plays Charles Sobhraj in Main Aur Charles, is well aware that it's one of the most challenging roles to have come his way. In an exclusive chat with SpotboyE, the actor reflects on his career moves - both, right and wrong. Excerpts:

How did Main Aur Charles happen?
5 years ago, Prawaal Raman (the director) came to me with a story where you had 3 different characters in the form of Charles. I simply told him, "We'll talk about this film the day you bring these 3 characters into one actor." He saw sense in what I said, worked on the story and then brought it to me again.
At that point of time, Prawaal and I were both going through a low phase, so it took us time to find a producer. Many writers, directors, actors and producers have tried to make a film on Charles Sobhraj, but failed because they're trying to make a movie on his life, which is more like a miniseries like Game Of Thrones or House Of Cards. But Prawaal made a film on a man who escaped from the prison that has the maximum security- Tihar Jail.

Image Source: twitter.com/RandeepHooda

What was your reaction when you heard the script?
I had heard of Charles Sobhraj- how he is dangerous and smart. Articles regarding him would be printed in papers and all the people in my family used to talk about him. Honestly, I never thought that I will get a chance to play him someday.

Image Source: twitter.com/RandeepHooda

Tell us about your preparation for the role.
As it is a real life character, the difficult part is the language and understanding the mindset of Charles. Whomsoever we asked about him, had his/her own version of the man. So we had to spend a lot of time understanding what this person is really all about. I read extensively about him, saw a lot of documentaries and read lots of newspaper articles as a part of my preparation.

How was it working with Richa Chadda?
Richa and I have great chemistry on and off sets. She is an attractive woman. It's always easy to have a good equation with an attractive woman. On top of it, she is a good actor.

Your last 2 releases, Ungli and Rang Rasiya, haven't done well. Does that put additional pressure on you?
If a film does well, I will get another good film. If it doesn't, I'll have to struggle a bit more and look for another film--- but I am sure I will get it because I have a good reputation now. Getting work is not an issue, but getting work which I want to do is the question right now. I did Charles right after Highway, even before doing Kick. If it would have released immediately after Highway, it would have been a different story. But these things are not in my hands.

Have you become more cautious in choosing scripts?
I've made so many mistakes, but I'm still here. So I don't think that you make one mistake and you are out of industry. Similarly, it's not that if you deliver one hit, your career will go on forever. I am an artiste and I am loyal towards my art, so I don't fear anything.


Thumbnail Image Source: rediff and filmywave