Actor Randeep Hooda has now opened up about passing on a key role in the blockbuster historical drama Chhaava. He revealed that it was a decision that came during a particularly difficult phase in his personal and professional life.
Randeep Hooda revealed that he was originally approached to play the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in the film, which starred Vicky Kaushal as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the second ruler of the Maratha Empire. The crucial role eventually went to Akshaye Khanna, whose solid performance received widespread appreciation from critics and audiences alike after the film’s release.
Randeep Hooda Turned Down Aurangzeb Role In Chhaava
Speaking to Zoom, Randeep Hooda explained that he chose not to take up the part because of the specific mental and emotional space he was in at the time. The actor said filmmaker Laxman Utekar had approached him soon after he wrapped up intensive work on Swatantrya Veer Savarkar and had moved into the post-production stage for that project.
Randeep Hooda shared that he had undergone a dramatic physical transformation for his previous role, which left him extremely underweight and with a shaved head. This made it very difficult for him to jump into another demanding historical character immediately. Apart from these physical limitations, the actor was also dealing with significant legal stress and sensitive social themes behind the scenes.
Explaining his reasons for rejecting the role, the actor stated, “I was going through an IP court case and I had so much Hindu-Muslim thing going on in the whole narrative and I just did not want to go down that street. So after that when this movie [Eetha] came on board, I liked it,"
Despite Hooda turning down the offer, Chhaava went on to become one of the biggest Hindi film successes in recent years. The film's grand scale and powerful storytelling struck a chord with audiences across the country. However, Hooda maintained that he has great respect for Laxman Utekar as a filmmaker and later chose to work on another project titled Eetha, which felt much more aligned with his mindset.
Away from films, Hooda has been enjoying a very happy phase in his personal life. Earlier this year, he and his wife, Lin Laishram, welcomed their first child, a baby girl, on March 10. The couple later revealed their daughter’s name as Nyomica Hooda through social media. On the professional front, the actor was recently seen in the second season of Inspector Avinash, which premiered on JioHotstar on May 15.