Omung Kumar’s biopic Sarbjit has been in the news lately for its various speculations on the star cast of the movie. After roping in the gorgeous Aishwariya Rai Bachchan for the role of Sarabjit’s sister Dalbir Kaur, the makers have finally locked down a name for the role of Sarabjit who is none other than talented Randeep Hooda.
Known for his exceptional acting skills and phenomenal performances in movies like ‘Kick’, ‘Highway’ and ‘Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster’, Randeep will be essaying the role of the slain Indian prisoner Sarabjit.
The movie will narrate the struggle of Dalbir Kaur whose aim of life is to get her brother out of the jail, who has been imprisoned in Pakistan for a mistaken identity of an Indian spy.
Randeep Hooda is all set to play the role Aishwariya Rai Bachachan’s younger brother.The duo will be seen sharing screen space for the very first time in Indian cinema.
Confirming the news the Director of Sarbjit, Omung Kumar says,“ Yes, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Randeep Hooda are going to be a part of my next biopic Sarbjit”
The film will release next year at the international Cannes Film Festival.
Dharma Productions has released the theatrical trailer of the much-awaited comedy-drama Ungli
The film stars Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut, Randeep Hooda, Sanjay Dutt, Neil Bhoopalam and Angad Bedi. Directed by Rensil D’Silva, the multi-starrer is produced by Hiroo Yash Johar and Karan Johar.
Ungli will be out in UK cinemas on 28th November, 2014.
Bollywood star Jacqueline Fernandez will be seen in UK cinemas from today in the much awaited Salman Khan action comedy, Kick.
Kick is helmed by popular producer-turned-director Sajid Nadiadwala, with the screenplay written by Sajid Nadiadwala and acclaimed author Chetan Bhagat. The film also stars Randeep Hooda, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Mithun Chakraborty and a special appearance by Nargis Fakhri.
The former Miss Sri Lanka Universe spoke to Bollywood Reporter Sunny Malik about the film, her co-star, love for London and her upcoming concert at The 02…
You have had huge success with Race 2 last year. Soon after you were signed for Roy with Ranbir Kapoor, Kick opposite Salman Khan and as the face of ‘The Body Shop’ in India. Your life has changed quite a bit… It is definitely an extremely great time for me. I know that every movie and project is exciting but with Kick, it is a completely different experience because it is the biggest movie of my career. It’s just WOW for me! I have worked extremely hard on this movie, the hardest I have ever worked. But I haven’t had the time to allow it to sink in, that I am doing something which is so huge. We just wrapped up the movie a few weeks ago and I just finished dubbing for the film too. You have no idea, everything just seems like a dream to me. I am on cloud nine and exploding (laughs). From the trailer launch to the song launches, it’s weird but I had the same feeling I had during Aladin, my first feature film. When I watch the promos of Kick, I feel like this is the first time I have ever seen myself on screen. It’s really cool.
There were strong rumours of another actress being cast for the film last year. Suddenly it was announced that you were the leading lady opposite Salman Khan. Was it hidden from the public or did it happen all of a sudden? It happened overnight. It happened in slow motion for me (laughs). I was called to Sajid Nadiwala’s office for a meeting. I presumed it was a meeting for anything else but Kick. I would never have thought that I’ll meet him for a role in Kick. I worked with him twice before and know that he makes good cinema. He suddenly offered me Kick and I was completely shocked. It was the least expected thing that ever happened to me. When there were rumours floating about who the actress will be in the film, usually I would wish for it to come to me or dream about being a part of the movie. At that time, Kick seemed so big to me that I didn’t even dream about it. I thought that were was no point in even dreaming (laughs). That was my attitude. I don’t know what amazing Karma I had in order for me to get this opportunity. It was a shocker.
Everyone wants to work with Salman Khan… He even recently tweeted about you to his 7.45 million followers… He follows me on Twitter now, which is the coolest thing that ever happened in my life (laughs). A few weeks ago he tweeted that Jacqueline Fernandez will release the song Jumme Ki Raat, without tagging me in it. Just because he tweeted my name, my Twitter following increased by about 300,000 people. I was in shock and couldn’t believe it. Now he has followed me and I am scared to check my Twitter because it might crash (laughs).
Salman Khan has also lent his voice to the soundtrack of Kick… Were you surprised that he sings? It’s amazing. Is there anything that Salman Khan can’t do? He is an all-rounder artist. He can do it all. When I heard him in ‘Hangover’, I was surprised because he has such an incredible voice.
It’s also the first time that you are dubbing your dialogues in Hindi… that must have been a tough task? Honestly, throughout the year it has been a gradual process of just working hard and being consistent. I believe that is why I got a film like Kick. Even though I didn’t expect it, I knew that I was someone who was working hard. I was going to my Hindi classes and there was never a point where I wanted to give up. I was constantly analysing what else I can do and was meeting people for work. What I have learnt now is that you have to be consistent in your work. Even now, just because I have got a big movie, doesn’t mean that I can sit back and enjoy. I possibly have to even work harder now. I am obviously prepared to do it because it’s something I am doing ever since I am here working in the Indian Film Industry. I take my work very seriously and I am also enjoying it as well. It’s beautiful when you enjoy what you do.
You also came to London to shoot for the film but the schedule didn’t go ahead because of Salman’s visa issues. I went mad when I was in London as I explored it quite a lot. Sajid Nadiwala was in Glasgow to shoot some actions scenes with Randeep Hooda. We were in London and as soon as our shopping spree was over, we were told that the schedule has been cancelled. It was still amazing though. We were shopping for the movie but we had a lot of fun all the time and were buying stuff for ourselves.
What new areas of London did you explore? I went to all the markets like Portobello Road. I visited quite a few vintage markets and antique stores. Besides the usual visits to Harrods, I had afternoon tea, which sounds clichéd but I had to do it (laughs). We also checked out some amazing clubs. I also went to The Arts Club which was nice. It was the best time I have ever spent in London because we had free time and weren’t just shooting for a movie every day.
You are also a part of Bollywood Showstoppers, the concert taking place at The 02 in London on 3rd August… I am excited for that. It’s in London and that is always a good reason. I also like the mix of people who are a part of it like Shahid Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha and Ali Zafar. I love performing and I am so excited to be in a show with my contemporaries. I have never performed in London. I can’t wait to maybe dance to ‘Jumme Ki Raat’. It should be fun. We have been working on the look and styling and have recently started rehearsing too with the choreographers from London.
The director of Highway, Imtiaz Ali, along with the leading actors of the film, Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda promoted the film at the International Berlin Film Festival 2014 earlier today.
London fans can meet Imtiaz Ali and Alia Bhatt at Cineworld Feltham tomorrow at 19.00. Highway will release in UK cinemas on 21st February 2014.
After creating waves on all platforms, the soundtrack of Imtiaz Ali’s new film Highway, composed by A R Rahman with lyrics by Irshad Kamil, is now available for digital download. The film, presented by Sajid Nadiadwala, stars Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda as they take the road across six states of India.
The Highway original motion picture soundtrack has nine tracks.
Patakha Guddi, sung by the Nooran sisters- Jyoti and Sultana, is a Punjabi song celebrating the wild spirit of Alia’s character Veera. The male version of Patakha Guddi has been sung by Rahman himself which moves from Sufi tones to a hard rock number.
Rahman also sings Maahi Ve which is a ballad picturised on Alia and Randeep as they go through this journey together.
Alia takes the microphone singing the lilting lullaby Sooha Saaha where she is joined by Zeb Bangash from the popular duo musicians Zeb and Haniya. Haniya plays the ukulele in the song.
Kahaan Hoon Main has been sung by Jonita Gandhi and is a soulful song of self-discovery.
Wanna Mash Up? written by Kash and Krissy and sung by Kash, Krissy and Suvi Suresh is a surprise – a groovy western dance number all in English with rap and reggae.
Implosive Silence is a musical piece which tries to capture the sounds in Alia’s character Veera’s head as she travels on the Highway. It has vocals by Jonita Gandhi.
The opening refrain of Tu Kuja is from the famous Persian phrase but thereafter it is a pure Hindi song inspired by the Amir Khusro song ‘Kirpa karo Maharaj‘ in praise of Moinuddin Chisti. The track is beautifully sung by Sunidhi Chauhan.
Heera sung by Shweta Pandit are traditional couplets by Sant Kabir.
According to Imtiaz, “We have played on melody and simplicity – trying to get right the balance between lyrics and music.”
“Really enjoyed working with Imtiaz and his team again …May God bless us with love and success!” adds the maestro A R Rahman.
Click on the image to download the soundtrack:
Highway will release in UK cinemas on 21st February, 2014 through Disney UTV.
Randeep Hooda who plays an important role in Sajid Nadiadwala’s directorial debut Kick has to put on 10 kgs in a month.
Where Randeep had lost kilos while shooting for Prawal Raman’s next project, he has made a new strategy to gain weight for Sajid Nadiadwala.
When Sajid first saw Randeep he was not happy with the lean physique Randeep had and asked him to gain weight.
Randeep says, “When Sajid saw me, he realised that I was looking lean and he did not want my character to look like that in his film. I will have to work really hard and put on 10 kg in such less time. It is quite tasking to continuously lose and gain weight. I will have to make changes in my diet and workout regime to do justice to the character.”
Kick also stars Salman Khan and Jacqueline Fernandez and was shot on location in the UK last year.
Films capture journeys but in Imtiaz Ali’s much-awaited Highway, the journey has made the film.
Presented by Sajid Nadiadwala and starring Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda, the film traverses six states of north India and captures the landscape of the different regions as it goes along.
Highway Diaries are short video snippets that capture the journey of the film and all the exciting experiences that the cast and crew had during its making.
In the latest episode of Highway Diaries, the crew of the film is seen driving through the narrow and perilous roads of the Himachal with continuous landslides, on their way to Tabo. Suddenly a big stone falls from the mountains and smashes the wind screen of one of their cars, forcing them to stop and wait for the machines to clear the road.
The dangers of the road are overshadowed by the stunning panorama that these higher reaches of Himachal offers. The video diary ends with Alia Bhatt delivering her lines that rightly describe the breathtaking location, “Tumne kabhi bataya nahi ki duniya aisi bhi hai, unbelievable!”
Watch this episode of Highway Diaries here:
Highway will release in UK cinemas through Disney UTV on 21st February 2014.
Producer Kumar Mangat was in talks with Saif for the film, Bad, which was to be directed by Prawaal Raman.
“When Prawaal first approached Kumar Mangat for the film, the producer showed interest in casting Saif as the lead actor. He suggested Saif would be ideal for the role. In fact, he had also finalised him for the role. But, Prawaal always wanted Randeep in the film. So he did not go ahead with the collaboration with Mangat,” says a source close to the film.
Director Prawaal Raman backed out of his collaboration with Kumar Mangat and asked Pooja Bhatt to produce his film as was convinced only Randeep Hooda suited the lead role.
Prawaal, however, considers it as a professional call and holds no grudges against the producer. “You always plan a film and then have some producer to back it. It was almost two-years ago that we were planning Bad together. Mangat is a wonderful man,” he says.
He goes on to praise the current producer of the film, saying “It is a privilege to be associated with Pooja. She is one of the best producers to work with.”
Imtiaz Ali’s Highway is all set to release on 13th of December, 2013, but not many people know that he had directed an episode of the same name, which aired on a TV channel in the early 2000s.
“I had made Highway on Rishtey on Zee TV. It was a forty five minute slot. The episode was well received but i felt that the story had a lot more to say. It had power and magnificence which i could not do justice to. More than a decade later the story was still with me and I was still desperate to go into it. So this time I jumped in,” said Imtiaz.
“It is a story of two opposite people united by fate. I had wanted Highway to be my first film. I am very glad that it did not happen that time. I think I understand the story much better now,” he added
Imtiaz Ali’s much-awaited next film Highway has a destination date – 13th December 2013. The film starring Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda which traverses through the roads of six Indian states and has music by maestro A.R. Rahman is well into its second schedule and is readying itself to reach a theatre near you on the second Friday of the last month of 2013.
Highway is a film very close to Imtiaz’s heart, one he wanted to make before any other film. And after all these years the storyteller is finally on the road making his pet project.
“There’s a story in you for years, a world you can’t wait to get into – that’s Highway,” says Imtiaz.
After Kareena Kapoor as Geet in Jab We Met and Deepika Padukone as Meera in Love Aaj Kal, this time it is Alia Bhatt who is set to enthrall audiences. Although Imtiaz had an older character in mind, the moment he met Alia he knew she is his Veera (name of Alia’s character in the film) and she has not only lived up to but gone beyond his expectations.
Also, everyone’s waiting to hear what Rahman does with Imtiaz after creating music history with Rockstar. Ironically Imtiaz didn’t even want to bother Rahman for this one thinking he must be very busy. But once Rahman heard the concept of Highway he himself volunteered enthusiastically: “I’m on, if you want me!”
From then on the two of them are trying to match the film musically to the varied vistas of the film – from Delhi to Rajasthan, Haryana to Himachal, Punjab to Kashmir.
Sajid Nadiadwala, who’s presenting and releasing Highway worldwide, is very excited to announce the release date for the film.
“Come to think of it, it was only last December that we agreed to go ahead with the film. And to start the shoot in March and then stick to the schedules despite being such a tough shoot is quite incredible….come December 13th, 2013, you have to take the Highway!”
There were strong rumours of another actress being cast for the film last year. Suddenly it was announced that you were the leading lady opposite Salman Khan. Was it hidden from the public or did it happen all of a sudden?
You also came to London to shoot for the film but the schedule didn’t go ahead because of Salman’s visa issues. 
Randeep Hooda who plays an important role in Sajid Nadiadwala’s directorial debut Kick has to put on 10 kgs in a month. 
Producer Kumar Mangat was in talks with Saif for the film, Bad, which was to be directed by Prawaal Raman. 
