In characteristic Haryanvi lingo, actor Randeep Hooda, in Chandigarh, left the audience in splits and also spoke about his upcoming film Veer Savarkar

Sheetal

Randeep Hooda — the Haryana lad who made it big in not only Bollywood, but also shone in Hollywood film Extraction — was in Chandigarh on Wednesday to unveil the trophy of the fifth edition of Chitra Bharti Film Festival. The festival will be held in Panchkula this February.

Like a proud Haryanvi, his opening lines for the jam-packed crowd at the Tagore Theatre, Chandigarh, were, “Sab ne Ram Ram bhai.”

Keeping the mahaul light, Hooda made a sarcastic comment about his bad memory as he forgot the names of those present alongside him on stage! He later said, “I have a strong belief that a good film leaves a deep and long-lasting impact on the minds of people.”

On a witty note

As he talked about films, festivals and their significance, the reference to Manipur enthused the crowd! Randeep, who recently married actress and his long-time girlfriend Lin Laishram, from Manipur, said, “Stories are everywhere; so, a film about Kerala should be watched in Haryana or a story from Haryana in Manipur or one based in North-East in J&K.”

As a voice from the crowd asked about Lin not making an appearance with him, Hooda gave a witty reply in Haryanvi, “Unne layyaun tha, Par une dhaar cadd ni thi.” To engage the audience further, Hooda shared why he didn’t marry Haryanavi girl, “I didn’t have a sarkari naukari.”

Real to reel

About his most-anticipated film of the year, Swatantra Veer Savarkar, where he plays the titular role, he said, “When the role of Savarkar ji came to me, I knew so little about him. But when I read books, especially English ones, I witnessed how there were just two paragraphs on the Strong Revolution (Sashakt Kranti) against the British and how the sacrifice of these heroes was undermined. In fact, there are so many untold stories of revolutionaries and their contribution to the freedom struggle.”

On taking to direction and production for this film, Hooda said, “I was happy portraying Savarkar ji and knew could perform well, but donning the director’s hat was a whole new experience. I was the first one to arrive on sets and the last one to leave.”

Things were no different when due to unforeseen and undisclosed circumstances, Hooda had to also produce the film. “It was actually like being the father of a bride, who is worried about everything. The cast and crew would use the property, but it was the producer who had to keep a tab on damage to property and other logistics. However, desire and determination kept me going.”

Hooda also said in addition to entertainment, a film should carry a social message too. “These days, more than feature-length films, people find reels entertaining. My friends asked how I would bring masses to the theatres to watch Savarkar ji’s story, as nobody knew him. So, my idea was to make it entertaining and message-oriented as well.”

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