Randeep Hooda finally gets his share with Sunny Deol's Jaat after being 'left out' in Highway, Sarbjit

Sunny Deol has made a grand comeback with yet another powerful role in Jaat, after Gadar 2. After a great opening at the box office, Jaat's collection witnessed a massive boost. On its fourth day, the movie reached Rs 40.25 crore. Thanks to positive word of mouth around its pitch and the powerful performances of Sunny Deol and Randeep Hooda. While fans are in awe of Deol's Baldev Pratap Singh role, Hooda's powerful performance as the antagonist Ranatunga aka Muthuvel Karikalan has added another feather to his cap. However, most importantly, Randeep Hooda finally got his share after being 'left out' in Highway and Sarbjit.

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What Ranbir Kapoor Had To Do With Highway Promotions?

Randeep Hooda and Alia Bhatt teamed up in 2014 for Imtiaz Ali's Highway. The critically acclaimed movie remains one of the best performances of the actors. However, Hooda was excluded during the promotions of Highway. Instead, Ranbir Kapoor joined Alia.

During a recent interview, Hooda revealed that exclusion from promotions deeply affected him and he 'felt bad'. He explained that participation in the promotional activities could have helped his career at that point.

Further, he also expressed confusion over what Ranbir Kapoor had to do with the promotions.

"Maine bhi woh dekha aur mujhe bi samajh nahi aaya Ranbir Kapoor ka iss picture se kya lena dena."

However, he acknowledged the relationship that blossomed between Ranbir and Alia. Hooda said, "Maybe, that's where their love story began. I offer them my best wishes. If this film brought them together, I'm truly happy for them."

Moreover, he also revealed that Highway seemed to revolve solely around Alia's character. However, as the movie wasn't picking momentum, they included him in the last day or two.

He added, "From the beginning, the plan was the center the film around Alia. After all, the movie dealt with female exploitation. But, once the audience saw it, they realised that without Mahavir Bhati (his character) the film wouldn't have had the same impact."

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan 'Outshined' Randeep Hooda in Sarbjit

2016's biographical movie Sarbjit is yet another remarkable movie of Randeep Hooda. While he played the lead role of Sarabjit Singh Attwal, Aishwarya played his sister Dalbir Kaur's role.

Hooda's impeccable and outstanding portrayal of Sarbjit won the hearts of moviegoers despite the movie's failure at the box office. Hooda's preparation for the role was intense and physically demanding. He lost 18 kg in 28 days which 'almost killed him'. However, despite that Aish clinched all the awards while Hooda failed to even secure a nomination at some award shows.

During an interview, Hooda revealed that he felt bad for not getting recognition from the fraternity. However, he expressed his delight in Aish winning awards.

During the interview with Siddharth Kanan, Hooda said, "Firstly, as an artist, if you are gauging your worth based on how many awards you’ve won, it’s not going to be very helpful. The recognition that you get from your fraternity can be encouraging, but all I can say is that I’m happy for Aishwarya that she won, even though I didn’t. To now complain that I deserved it more would be unbecoming. If people say it, that’s a victory in itself.”

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Further, he added, "I’ve never indulged in this kind of talk, because it would seem like a case of sour grapes. Did I feel bad? Of course, I did. But it’s not like the world ended. You move on to the next thing. But as an actor and filmmaker, if I give others this much control about my own self-image, I would’ve been done a long time ago.”

Randeep Hooda's Versatility

Randeep Hooda is one of the most talented and versatile actors in Indian cinema. However, he stands out from his contemporaries for his dedication to roles and intense performances. Especially, his massive physical transformation for different complex characters showcases his range and commitment to his craft. With his notable performances in movies such as Highway, Sarabjit, Main Aur Charles, Extraction, Swatantrya Veer Savarkar and many others, he has won the hearts of the audience.

Well, in Jaat, Hooda's villainous performance as Ranatunga is extremely loved by the audience. His character portrayal is highly lauded by all. Moreover, Hooda is actively participating in the promotions with Sunny Deol. Hopefully, the Kick actor will get the recognition he deserves from his fraternity for Jaat.