Randeep Hooda says Raaj Kumar’s real-life style shaped his screen presence
Randeep Hooda says an actor’s personal style often shapes their public image and praises late legend Raaj Kumar for carrying his distinctive real-life style into his powerful on-screen performances.
Mumbai: Bollywood star Randeep Hooda has talked about how an actor’s personal style plays a role in shaping their public persona in today’s image-driven world and said that late superstar Raaj Kumar successfully translated his distinctive real-life style into his powerful on-screen persona.
Asked if he thinks an actor’s personal style plays a role in shaping their public persona, Randeep told IANS:
“Unfortunately, it does. I wish it didn’t because, you know, I would rather be known for what I’m doing on screen and for the characters I’m trying to create. And the less people know about me as a person, the better it is—because then my characters are more believable.”
He revealed how an actor does end up getting defined by their image today.
“But in these days of ‘dikhta hai toh bikhta hai’, it’s gone to another level with social media and constant availability. I think you do end up getting defined by your image.”
He added: “But nobody’s really been able to define me—or parody me, actually—because my roles are so different from one another. Similarly, I think you as a person can be like that too.”
The actor went on to talk about the late star Raaj Kumar, who has worked in films such as “Mother India”, “Waqt”, “Dil Ek Mandir”, “Saudagar”, “Paigham” and “Tirangaa” to name a few.
“Still, a lot of actors have had great success by having a distinctive personal style that carries into their screen persona. The first person who comes to my mind is Mr. Raaj Kumar, who had a very definitive style in real life, which really translated into his on-screen presence,” said Randeep, who strutted the ramp for Blenders Pride Four Elements.
Is Randeep someone who follows trends, or does he prefer to keep it classic?
“Trends change all the time—trends, fads—I’ve never been very much into them. In fact, a lot of the time, I’m not even aware of those things.”
Randeep added: “So, I prefer to keep it classic. Keep it classic, like what you wear, you know? I mean, you should like what you wear more than trying to follow and be somebody else. And classic—always—you cannot go wrong with it.”
