Actor Randeep Hooda’s dramatic weight-loss sparks debate
The Bollywood actor lops off the pounds for a recent role to the utter shock of movie-goers.
Losing weight might be the fad these days, but seeing actors contract to skin and bone is leaving some fans outraged. The most recent case in point is Randeep Hooda, the director and star of the upcoming political biopic Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. The actor known for flaunting a muscular physique in most of his movies, has lopped off an incredible 30 kilos to play the Indian freedom fighter and pioneer of the Hindu-based “Hindutva” political movement.
Ahead of the movie’s release on Friday, March 22, 2024, Hooda’s jaw-dropping physical transformation has sparked a fiery debate on social media. The crux of the dispute is whether such extreme steps toward realistically portraying a character has any bearing on the quality of the acting or the impact of the movie itself.
Leading the discourse is Savarkar’s grandson Ranjit who posted his disapproval of Hooda’s stunt, “Encouraging unhealthy practices like this? Is it valid? One (can) act good without doing stuff like this.”Others have contested this claim, pointing out that actors consult the advice of a medical team for a healthy transition and that their spirit and determination is worthy of praise.
Interestingly, the previous time that Hooda slimmed down for the screen, the concerned movie was a flop. Indeed, the actor lost a startling 20 kilos for the Sarabjit – the 2016 biopic of a man accused of terrorism and espionage and sentenced by Pakistan’s Supreme Court to a 22-year prison term. It seems that Hooda is taking quite a gamble with his latest venture, although this theme might find more resonance with Indian audiences. Flexing his muscles and wielding weapons has brought Hooda far more commercial success - like with such blockbusters as Sultan (2016) and Baaghi 2 (2018).
It looks like Hooda’s weight-loss move is inspired by three Hollywood stars in particular: Robert De Niro and Christian Bale who both shed about 30 kilos for Raging Bull (1980) and The Machinist (2004) respectively; and Matt Damon who lost 20 kilos for the Martian (2015). In this era of rising costs, how’s that for Downsizing! And as some people admit these days, “Small is Big.”
