‘He surprised us by telling us he wanted to make a career in acting.’
‘We were scared since we knew nothing of this profession but then, he landed a role in Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding.’
‘After seeing him holding his own on screen, we decided to let the boy pursue his passion.’
IMAGE: Randeep Hooda with mother Asha Hooda. Photograph: Kind courtesy Asha Hooda
Mother’s Day is special for Randeep Hooda and he usually commemorates the day with an Instagram post dedicated to his mother, Asha Hooda, who he describes as his ‘Happy Place’.
“I have seen every film of Randeep’s at least two times in theatres,” Asha tells Rediff Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya. “On TV and OTT, every time I come across one of his films playing, I watch it till the end even if I have seen it countless times before.”
‘Randeep ran out with a stick, embarrassing me’
IMAGE: Asha and Ranbir Hooda with their daughter Anjali and son Randeep. Photograph: Kind courtesy Asha Hooda
Randeep was a lovable child, and a naughty one too, but that didn’t bother me because I have always believed that thodi si shararat (a little mischief) keeps the brain active and sharp.
When he was around two, I used to teach in a school in Rohtak, Haryana, and Randeep would sometimes follow me to class, peeking out at the other children from behind my chair.
The principal of the school was very strict and whenever he caught Randeep, he would reprimand him for disturbing my class.
(Laughs) One day, he came home and Randeep ran out with a stick, embarrassing me.
When my daughter Anjali was in Standard 1, I had sent her to Rai (a village and development block in the Sonipat district of Haryana) to stay with my mother since both my husband (Randeep’s father, Ranbir Singh Hooda, is a surgeon) and I (Asha was a teacher and social worker) were busy and travelling extensively.
We enrolled her at the Motilal Nehru School of Sports in Rai where she excelled academically, going on to become a doctor.
When Randeep was in Standard 4, my husband decided to move to the Middle East and we sent Randeep to his nani‘s place in Rai as well, so that his studies would not be affected.
He was admitted to the same school as Anjali.
Only my youngest child, Sandeep, now a software engineer working with a bank in Singapore, travelled with us.
‘He is an expert rider and owns horses in Mumbai’
IMAGE: Randeep Hooda goes horse riding. Photograph: Kind courtesy Randeep Hooda/Instagram
While at MNSS, Randeep developed an interest in equestrian sport.
We had deliberately opted for a sports school because back then, there weren’t too many opportunities for children to engage in extra-curricular activities and we didn’t want our kids to be cooped up at home.
At MSSS, you have to compulsorily pick one sport: Anjali chose swimming while Randeep showed an interest in horse-riding.
Today, he is an expert rider and owns horses in Mumbai.
He has played polo and won many medals in dressage and show jumping.
Besides horses, he loves all other animals too and often goes on holidays to jungles, returning with loads of beautiful pictures which he has shot.
‘He surprised us by admitting that he wanted to make a career in acting’
IMAGE: Ira Dubey and Randeep Hooda in Monsoon Wedding.
My husband’s village is a 20-minute drive from Rai and he would often go there to visit his dadi.
After his Standard 10, Randeep moved to Delhi where he completed his schooling at the Delhi Public School.
After that, we decided to send him to Australia for higher studies.
We believed that living abroad would give him better exposure and inculcate in him a sense of discipline.
In Melbourne, we supported him till he graduated, then insisted that he work while doing his master’s there.
In those two years in Australia, he did a lot of odd jobs.
Once he was back in Delhi with an MBA, he got some good offers, but he didn’t want a 9 am to 5 pm job.
He had started modelling while in Melbourne and was doing amateur theatre in Delhi.
He surprised us by telling us he wanted to make a career in acting.
We were scared initially since we knew nothing of this profession but then, he landed a role in Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding. After seeing him holding his own on screen, we decided to let the boy pursue his passion.
Eventually, it’s his life and he should live it his way.
So he came to Mumbai, even though we had no family or friends here, to make a career in the movies.
What followed was a long struggle but Randeep did not turn to us for financial help.
He did commercials to support himself financially, working with Naseeruddin Shah’s Motley Theatre Group and doing theatre workshops with him to polish his acting skills.
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‘We saw D in Rohtak’
IMAGE: Randeep Hooda in Jaat.
His career took a turnaround when Ram Gopal Varma spotted him and signed him for three-four films, launching him as the lead in his 2005 crime thriller, D.
We saw D in a local theatre in Rohtak.
It was a packed house and the crowds were unbelievable.
There were some local politicians in attendance too and excitement was high as he was apna chhora (our local boy).
Randeep gave a very good performance and everyone was congratulating us after the show.
We were so proud and happy to see the craze for him, a craze that continues to this day.
There have been many more wonderful performances since and it’s hard to pick a favourite because I love them all.
I have seen every film of Randeep’s, including the recently released Jaat, at least two times in theatres.
On TV and OTT, every time I come across one of his films playing, I watch it till the end even if I have seen it countless times before.
I was particularly impressed with Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.
Randeep not only plays the titular role in this 2024 biopic, but has also co-written, co-produced and directed the film which called for a lot of hard work, research and dedication.
He devoted two years to it, as an actor, going through a gruelling weight loss journey and even shooting with a fractured knee.
A match in Manipur
IMAGE: Randeep Hooda with wife Lin Liashram. Photograph: Kind courtesy Randeep Hooda/Instagram
Every parent makes a lot of sacrifices and goes through the grind hoping their children will do well in life. We are fortunate that all three of our children have done so well.
Randeep hasn’t had it easy but today, when we see our boy so successful, not just in films, but bringing so many positive changes in his village and state too, it makes his father and me so proud.
And now, he is not alone, he has found a perfect life partner in Lin Liashram.
His wife is a cultured girl with a sweet voice.
Lin is a model and actor herself who has her own eco-friendly jewellery brand. She has opened a restaurant too.
Initially, we had wanted a Haryanvi bahu for our son but when we saw how khush our ladka was with Lin and she with Randeep, we were happy to give them our blessings.
The wedding was in Manipur, following all the rituals of the bride’s family.
We had taken along our wedding finery, but ended up wearing the traditional clothes given by Lin’s family.
The wedding itself was an experience with 10-12 priests chanting mantras and hymns solemnly, invoking the Gods,
There were so many people, and yet it was all so quiet and regal with no DJ playing loud music.
When we had first visited Mumbai, we had stayed for six-seven days with Randeep in a one BHK flat.
Once he settled down here, we kept returning to the city, but since my husband was still working then and I was busy with my social work — I was director of the Haryana State Electricity Board — we couldn’t stay longer than a fortnight even when he moved into a bigger place.
It was only six years ago, after my husband retired, that we moved here for good and now live with Lin and Randeep.
Life couldn’t be better.
