Why was Shahid Kapoor scared of Randeep Hooda?

Shahid, who is collaborating with Randeep for the first time in Vishal Bhardwaj's upcoming film 'Ustara', has shared that he was intimidated by the latter initially during their workshops with Naseeruddin Shah at the National School of Drama

Mumbai: Actor Shahid Kapoor recently opened up about his early experiences with Randeep Hooda, revealing that he was initially intimidated by him during their workshops at the National School of Drama (NSD) with Naseeruddin Shah.

In a recent live session, the ‘Jab We Met’ actor shared that Randeep, being a senior at the workshops, had an intense presence that made him a little scared at the time. However, over the years, their relationship has evolved into a strong friendship, and now, Shahid is excited to work alongside Randeep in their upcoming project ‘Ustara’.

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During the session, Shahid said, “Randeep Hooda is also there. How can I forget? He’s my buddy from his NSD days when I also visited. I’m very excited. This is my first time working with Randeep. We’ve never worked together. Hum logo ne actually bohot saari acting workshops Naseer uncle ke saath saath main ki thi. Voh mera bohot senior tha aur main bohot darta tha usse. (We actually did a lot of acting workshops together with Naseer uncle. He was very senior to me, and I used to be very scared of him.)”

Shahid and Randeep are now collaborating together for the first time in Vishal Bhardwaj’s upcoming film, ‘Ustara’. The action thriller, backed by Sajid Nadiadwala, boasts a stellar ensemble cast, including veteran actor Nana Patekar, Vikrant Massey, and Triptii Dimri.

Last month, the makers announced the release date of the highly-anticipated film. The post read, “#SajidNadiadwala presents a @vishalrbhardwaj film A spectacular cinematic journey begins on 6th Jan 2025 Film releasing on 5th December 2025. (sic)”

Shahid Kapoor had earlier shared a glimpse of his “prep time” on Instagram Stories with a post-workout black-and-white selfie. Going by his post, it seems like as he is all set to play an “edgy nasty gangster” from the 1990s. He captioned the post, “Prep time…Naya saal naya maal (New year, new stuff)… Next character, next film what can I do that I haven’t before… Lost in the woods… But you can’t be original if you aren’t ready to be lost… (sic)”

Reportedly, ‘Ustara’ will be set in Mumbai during a past era, focusing on events in the post-Independence underworld.