Randeep Hooda shares how Sunny Deol inspired him during his school days

Mumbai: Actor Randeep Hooda shared how Sunny Deol played a key role in shaping his early fitness journey.

Reminiscing about his school days, he revealed that he and his friends drew motivation from Sunny’s iconic posters, which pushed them to hit the gym and build strength. The ‘Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’ actor recalled adorning hostel cupboards with Sunny’s posters, which sparked in him the passion to start lifting weights and doing push-ups — a habit that stayed with him for life.

Randeep, who is working with Deol in the upcoming thriller “Jaat,” expressed, “I have always been a huge fan of Sunny Deol. Growing up, we admired his powerful screen presence, his intensity, and his physique. I still remember us having his posters in our school hostel cupboards, looking at them and getting inspired to lift weights and doing push-ups.”

“When I was offered the role, what convinced me the most was that I was playing this ultra macho action star opposite a legend like Sunny sir, to match his energy and intensity on screen—it’s an actor’s dream. He is a powerhouse, and sharing this space with him is both a challenge and an honor,” Randeep added.

Earlier, in a statement, Sunny Deol revealed the journey of “Jaat” had begun during “Gadar 2.” The ‘Ghayal’ actor stated, “We all were very excited about it, we were about to start a beautiful film, and after following many directors, Gopi agreed to do the film. We met in Goa, and he said he would direct the film and had another story to narrate. He narrated to me the story of “Sorry Bol” (laughs). And with ‘sorry, sorry, sorry,’ he pulled me into the entire film and story, and this is how we made ‘Jaat.’”

“Jaat,” directed by Gopichand Malineni, will see Sunny in the titular role, while Hooda plays a menacing villain. The action thriller marks the first on-screen collaboration between Deol and Hooda. The film boasts a strong ensemble cast, including Vineet Kumar Singh, Saiyami Kher, and Regina Cassandra in pivotal roles.

“Jaat” is set to hit theatres on April 10.

–IANS