Randeep's take on cop flicks and remakes

By: Subhash K. Jha, IndiaFM
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
He's done it. The lone cop fighting a corrupt system act in his new film Risk. Ask Randeep Hooda about the done-to-death genre, and he comments, "Look, there're actually four kinds of stories in films...a love story between two people, a love story among three people, a revenge story , and a journey... How you put your soul into these genres makes all the difference".

This cop isn't like other famous cops who fight an indignant battle against the system. This cop is less cliched. He knows there's no point in trying to change the system. You gotta do what you gotta do within the restrictions given to you. But let me add I'm a great fan of the great cops on screen, like Mr Bachchan in Zanjeer, Om Puri in Ardh Satya and Manoj Bajpai in Shool. See, I play a guy who is the way he is, not because of his uniform. He'd have wanted to do the same things even if he wasn't a cop, though he'd probably not have the power to do so."

Randeep is definitely excited about shouldering the entire responsibility as the cop on the prowl in Risk. "It's not a rule to play the central character. In my very first film Monsoon Wedding I was part of a large ensemble cast."

Randeep's erstwhile mentor is re-making Sholay. Randeep's take? "I've no comments on Ramuji's remake. Well, remakes have been done in the West. I'm sure Indian filmmakers would like to re-interpret old hits. ...though I can't see how you can improve on a film that's already a big hit. I'd like to be in a remake that's already been done, or one that I can carry forward. I'd love to do Scarface which has earlier been done by greats like Paul Muni, Al Pacino and Mr Bachchan (in Agneepath)."

Says Randeep, "An actor is raw material moldable in other's hand. After the break from Mr Varma I've continued to grow as an actor. I didn't deliberately break away. It was destiny. Risk is a new start , in a way. And I carry the film. So it's a challenging responsibility."

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