Randeep Hooda admits rejecting Rang De Basanti due to his ‘Jaat akad’: Won’t stand behind Aamir Khan | Bollywood-OxBig News Network

Randeep Hooda on rejecting Rang De Basanti

When asked if he had ever lost out on films due to arrogance, Randeep revealed that he had turned down Rang De Basanti, saying, “Voh agar main karta toh shayad alag league mein aajata” (Had I done that film, I would have been in a different league). I was offered Bhagat Singh’s role in the film. I did the audition, and they liked it. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra would come to me, sometimes driving drunk, and he would ask me ‘kar le kar le picture karle (please do the film).”

Randeep admitted he wanted to do the film, but at the time, he only knew two people in the industry, his then-girlfriend and director Ram Gopal Varma. His girlfriend showed no interest and advised him not to take on a small role.

He added, “RGV told me, ‘I’m thinking of casting you in the lead role in D, and you want to go stand behind Aamir in the poster?’ Meri Jaat akad nikal aayi (My Jaat arrogance came up), and I said, ‘I won’t stand behind Aamir.’ That happened, and I also left Rock On for similar reasons. I’ve always worked with slightly different kinds of filmmakers and producers, not the industry insiders—maybe that’s why my growth was slower. I used to think I was enough and that craft was everything, but that’s not the case.”

About Rang De Basanti

The coming-of-age socio-political drama was written, produced, and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. It featured an ensemble cast including Aamir Khan, Siddharth (in his Hindi debut), Atul Kulkarni, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor, British actress Alice Patten (also in her Hindi debut), Waheeda Rehman, and Soha Ali Khan.

The film followed the story of a British film student travelling to India to document the lives of five freedom fighters from the Indian revolutionary movement. She befriends and casts five young men in her project, which inspires them to take a stand against the injustices of their own government. Rang De Basanti won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2007 BAFTA Awards. It was also chosen as India’s official entry for the Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Awards in the same category.

Randeep Hooda’s recent work

Randeep is currently seen in the action thriller Jaat. Directed by Gopichand Malineni, the film also stars Sunny Deol and Regina Cassandra, alongside Saiyami Kher, Jagapathi Babu, Ramya Krishnan, and Vineet Kumar Singh in supporting roles. Randeep’s portrayal of a villainous character has received praise.