Randeep Hooda in Ketan Mehta's Rang Rasiya

Not long ago, Shaji Karun wanted to make the film on acclaimed painter Raja Ravi Varma with Ajay Devgan and Madhuri Dixit in the lead. But the project fell through after Madhuri turned down the offer because it required her to do a nude scene.

Now, the same subject has been picked up by Ketan Mehta. While he's decided on the male lead, he's still hunting around for someone to play the painter's muse. " Randeep Hooda will be acting in this film. The rest of the cast will be decided after some time. Other details have to finalised," says Mehta, who has named the film Rang Rasiya.

For Ketan, who has earlier made films like Sardar, The Rising (with Aamir Khan) and just announced The Rebel, based on the life of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi (to be played by Aishwarya Rai), this would be his fourth historical.

The filmmaker plans to complete Rang Rasiya even before he begins shooting for The Rebel. "This is one genre which we left in the seventies. One reason for that was such films are very hard to make and very expensive. India has lots of interesting stories in its history that can be told," he says.

Randeep Hooda plays Love Game

From the intense brooding cop in Risk to the cool philanderer in Love Game. Randeep Hooda speaks to Indu Mirani of DNA about the transition.

Have you gotten over Risk ?
Yes, long ago, I was over it in two days. The day I saw it I got over it, and its not that it didn't do well. I met the distributor for Mumbai who says he made double the amount in his territory. I think it worked better in smaller towns.

Love Game sounds like an erotic thriller.
(Laughs) Love Game is not an erotic thrillerl. It is actually a slice of life comedy, but the take is on the man-woman relationship that we have today. It's not a slapstick comedy but a romantic comedy. It is basically the story of a young man, what he thinks love is, what he wants in a woman and what he actually needs. It's about Navras. Every normal man has nine fantasies but we couldn't fit that into the length of the script, so there are eight. We left out the whore. The ras that is not there is the paid sex one.

Eight women and one man, very flattering isn't it?
It is a tough job to have eight different relationships with women in one film. Even though the role is close to a today's normal generation migrant urban youth that I actually am. This is the closest to me that I have ever played. I usually play all these characters that are totally imaginative, yet based in reality so I have to mould myself a lot. Now I have to mould myself back which is also a challenge. This is something I really wanted to do, because I wanted to let myself go, put a bit more of myself into a role so that I can keep putting bit more of myself into other roles which are unlike me. That's why I have taken up this film.

Is it more fun to be doing a film with lovely young girls than to be leering at people and shooting at them?
This is definitely more fun, because it’s more relaxed. I’ve heard all these stories about actors romancing their actresses. I’ve never ever been able to do that.

Was it difficult to change yourself from the earlier films to this mood?
When the camera started rolling in the beginning, it was a bit hard because for the past two and a half years, doing these tough guy roles, you automatically harden up but it's gotten better and there's a boyish side to me also which nobody has seen coming out in this film.

Randeep Hooda romances 7 actresses

After playing a police officer in Risk, actor Randeep Hooda is all set to be the ladies man in his forthcoming film Love Game.

Love Game has been directed by Sreenivas. It is believed that Randeep was asked for Sreenivas’s last film Paisa Vasool which starrer Manisha Koirala and Sushmita Sen. But since Randeep was tied up for Ram Gopal Varma's production house, he couldn’t do Paisa Vasool.

Love Game is a very funny and light film. Hooda plays a guy who flirts with a number of girls. There are seven actresses in the film including Rituparna Sengupta, Divya Dutta, Riya Sen, Sadaa, Kalpana Pundit, Jesse Randhawa and Rakhi Sawant.

Why Randeep ‘Risk’ Hooda is a braveheart?

Randeep Hooda is a couple of films old. But this hot dude is making his presence felt. Both for his ‘attitude’ as well as his commendable acting skills. Another facet that has been added to his persona is that of being truthful against all odds. During his interviews for his forthcoming film ‘Risk’ (Releasing tomorrow), he made sure to thank his ‘good friend’ Sub Inspector Daya Nayak for all the inputs he gave him for enacting a tough encounter specialist cop.

As is well know Daya Nayak has been facing investigation for his alleged wrong doings while fulfilling his police duty. Till a few years ago it was fashionable to take assistance from Nayak (films ‘Ab Tak Chappan’ and ‘Khakee’ being a case in point) but since the time his name has been soiled, he has been a complete taboo. For Hooda to believe in his friend, spend time during police shootouts, tolerate the mosquitoes on job, incorporate police mannerisms, the length of the hair etc. tells volumes about his dedication towards his craft. And the length he can go for people he believes in.

The whole country is eager to check out Randeep Hooda as he takes a panga with underworld don Khalid (Vinod Khanna) in ‘Risk’ tomorrow. If you are one of them, then join the encore…