Randeep Hooda’s silver lining playbook

Randeep Hooda is seeing the world with new eyes. A few months shy of turning 50, he is experiencing parenthood for the first time. The actor-filmmaker and his wife, actor Lin Laishram welcomed their daughter in early March this year. “She’s so delicate and beautiful,” he says about their baby girl, Nyomica.

He can’t help but beam as he confesses to already being ‘wrapped around his daughter’s little finger’. “Everyone is,” he insists. Like mostly new parents, the couple is inundated with advice, opinions and comments. “Everyone keeps telling us, ‘wait until she starts smiling back at you; wait until this or that (milestone).’ She’s already a great source of joy for everyone in our families—not just me,” he says.

Hooda’s month-long paternity break is almost coming to an end with his next—an untitled social drama about misleading advertisements, which is almost entirely based on his home state of Haryana. Leaving Lin and their weeks-old baby is not going to be easy on the new father: “I am going to come back as much as I can. I can potentially stay away for a few days but after that I am going to be like ‘I just need five minutes with my daughter and I’ll be satiated’.”

Style and the changing self

I should mention here that Hooda and I have known each other, on and off, for almost two decades. During an interview for another publication around the time he turned 40, he had spoken about why he thought marriage and fatherhood were perhaps not for him. “For the time I am making a film, I am completely immersed in the character. I come back and look at the person in my life like a stranger. I don’t want to subject my eccentricities on someone else. And, what would a relationship amount to? A few kids with an absent father….I am not interested,” he had said at the time. This, of course, changed when he met Lin at actor Naseeruddin Shah’s Motley theatre group. A decade-long friendship transformed into love and the couple tied the knot with a traditional Meitei wedding in Imphal, Manipur in 2023.

When I remind him of our conversation, he laughs, admitting: “A lot has changed, obviously.” The credit, he quickly adds, goes to Lin. “While I still tend to get very involved in the films that I make, in Lin I have found a wonderful partner who understands my personal quests. Life is good after marriage, and I now feel a sense of completeness after the baby. It feels like there's a new energy infused into our family and not just in my life. She's too small yet, and everybody is still on their toes. But, it's all settling in.”

Changes in Hooda’s life post-marriage have been a mix of profound and subtle. One of them is his renewed interest in fashion. The actor has always described his sense of style as ‘classic’ but Lin has been pushing him to be more experimental. “I have always dressed for the occasion, maybe even been a little underdressed. Now, Lin is also involved in picking what I wear, so there’s often a dash of flair,” he says. These conversations have helped the actor identify that one fashion trend he wants nothing to do with. “I don’t understand the point of oversized clothing. Maybe it works for some pieces sometimes if comfort is key, but not everywhere,” he adds.

Upping the game

It might seem like Hooda’s life is in flux but there is one thing that hasn’t changed—his passion for acting and storytelling. He discovered acting in school but his doctor parents wanted him to have a ‘proper degree.’ He spent five years in Melbourne, Australia getting a bachelor’s and master's degree in business management. It was only after he returned to Delhi and got a job with an airline, that he started doing amateur theatre. That’s where filmmaker Mira Nair discovered him.

Hooda got his break in Monsoon Wedding (2001), which revolves around a Delhi family dealing with major and minor crises as they prepare for a wedding. He played Rahul—a charming but laid-back cousin from Australia. In the 25 years since, his filmography is studded with solid performances and box office disappointments. From starving himself to play a real life political prisoner in Sarbjit (2016) to shaving a part of his head several times while making Swatantra Veer Savarkar (2024), his commitment to making his characters believable is unmatched.

“I think I've done the best I could with the opportunities that I've had. I’ve made about 40 films over these 25 years and that’s not a lot of work. I’ve also had long breaks where I just walked away from the industry because the kind of films being made weren’t really meant for me. One is always chasing quality,” he explains. And, every time cinema didn’t scratch that itch, Hooda quickly turned to theatre. He’s been associated with Shah’s Motley since they first worked together in Monsoon Wedding. Over the decades, he’s shared the stage with Shah in A Walk in the Woods and in George Bernard Shaw’s classic satire, Arms and the Man.

It was this training in theatre that helped Hooda when he had to step in to direct and co-write Swatantra Veer Savarkar. “Theatre really helps you visualise what you could do with a space and how to build a story. I had always thought I’d write and direct at a later stage in my life but I am happy to have gotten the opportunity already.” Of the two disciplines, it’s writing that the actor is enjoying. “Writing is very liberating. I’ve written a bunch of screenplays, most of which are adapted from real life and also some short stories in Hindi.”

Long before the idea of side-quests as a form of self-care became a trend, they have been an integral part of Hooda’s life. An avid equestrian, he’s competed at the national level in dressage and show jumping. He is also a wildlife enthusiast and photographer who uses his platform to raise awareness about conservation. There was also a time when he was very passionate about playing the saxophone. “One should always have side quests or hobbies, as we used to call them. They help break routine and keep your mind fresh.”

Almost mid-way through a year of milestones, both personal and professional, Hooda is excited. Before his daughter’s birth, he wrapped a schedule for filmmaker Laxman Utekar’s biographical drama Eetha, with actor Shraddha Kapoor, in Pune. He’s also finished filming for the action-adventure-comedy Matchbox: The Movie with Jessica Biel and John Cena. The film reunites Hooda with his Extraction (2020) director Sam Hargrave. “I feel like I want to work more. I want to push myself to try new things, work with different kinds of filmmakers.”

A phrase/ word you say all the time?
 ‘All right, let's do it’

Favourite cartoon character
 I used to watch a lot of Sponge Bob with my niece, that's the character I remember watching a lot.

If you were an author, what kind of book would you write?
 Maybe a non-fiction book

What’s your spirit animal?
 Used to be a horse, now it's a tiger. So somewhere in between.

If I weren't an actor, I'd be...
 A naturalist or something.

My favourite drink in the morning is...
 Lung-cleansing tea.

What sport are you the worst at?
 Basketball or Pool.

If you had to teach someone a skill, what would it be?
 Time management.

The best exercise in the world?
 Power Lifting.

The one film I've seen more than five times…
There are millions I've seen more than 5 times. In fact, every time I watch a movie, I find new things in it. If I had to pick one, it would be Lawrence of Arabia.

Editor: Snigdha Ahuja (@snigdha.ahuja)
Interview: Karishma Upadhyay (@karishmaupadhyay)
Photographer: Taras Taraporvala (@taras84)
Creative Video Direction & Edit: Kanak Sharma (@kanakaksharma)  
Stylist: Amoli Goyal (@amoliigoyal)
Cover Design: Mandeep Singh Khokhar (@mandy_khokhar19)
Makeup Artist: Renuka Nayar
Hair Artist: Shubham Yadav
Editorial Coordinator: Shalini Kanojia (@shalinikanojia)
Set Design: Janhavi Patwardhan (@artnut_j) 
Assistant Stylist: Astha Kothari (@astha_kothari)
Fashion Intern: Prutha Agarwal (_prutha_a)
Artist PR Agency: Hardly Anonymous (@hardlyanonymouspr

On Randeep: Heritage double pocket shirt in dark olive and heritage vintage cargo, Royal Enfield (@royalenfieldlifestyle); rings, ZEEV for Men (@zeev.men) and INOX Jewelry (@inoxjewelryin); thread bracelet, Alto Vida Lifestyle (@altovidalife); cuff bracelet and beaded bracelet, INOX Jewelry (@inoxjewelryin); metal beaded bracelet, ORIONZ® (@orionzjewels); chopper MLG camo helmet with clear visor - battle green helmet, Royal Enfield (@royalenfieldlifestyle); bike, Bullet 650 Battleship Blue, Royal Enfield (@royalenfield)