Theatre is a reality check for an actor, says Randeep Hooda

Actor Randeep Hooda has been rather busy with his films in Bollywood of late to consider acting in theatre again, any time soon. Having wrapped up the erotic thriller Jism 2, he is currently juggling between shoots for John Day with Vishram Sawant’s Shooter.

Though Randeep admits that theatre’s taken a backseat as far as acting’s concerned for the time being, he insists that it’s only a temporary break and reveals that no matter how he fares in Bollywood, he won’t give up theatre. “Juggling between the two – theatre and films – does get difficult,” shares Randeep, “but I don’t see myself ever give up theatre. It’s got a deeper connect with who I really am. So, if films give you the wings to fly, theatre is a reality check, it keeps you grounded,” shares Randeep. In fact, despite his hectic shoots, Randeep recently made his theatrical debut as a writer as he adapted Lee Blessing’s A Walk in The Woods along with Faisal Rashid to suit the Indian context.

Talking about his association with theatre, Randeep says that it goes a long way back and adds that for him theatre is like school. “Films can give you the satisfaction of feeling like a hero, but theatre gives you the real satisfaction of being an actor,” says the actor, who had recently done the play, Arms and The Man with actor Naseeruddin Shah and his theatre group Motley.

As for working with Naseer, Randeep says that the senior actor is someone, he really looks up to in the industry. “I think I am still completely in awe of him. He is magic on stage and each time I get to share stage with him, I can’t help but thank my stars. So, naturally, now that we are shooting together in John Day, the film’s already become all the more special for me,” smiles Randeep.