Quotes from Randeep Hooda

Seriously I suspected I was a good actor, though I didn't know it during 'Monsoon Wedding'. Now I realize the more I learn the less I know about acting... and life.

There is a lot of silence in me, and I feel that silence is often better than spoken words.

I think it would be pompous to say I am an underrated actor. I don't think it is for me to think and decide; it is for people to decide. But I am glad I am underrated than being overrated - that is something I would find hard to digest.

I have this soft spot for have-nots. So, I was really inclined to portray their pain and pathos in 'Highway.'

A movie is a mass consumption product. I have got no delusions about being niche. I don't want to be niche. Though in the earlier part of my career I was into niche cinema, doing independent films - and I do have a revolutionary bent of mind - but you cannot make a change from outside; you have to be a part of it.

Stardom happens - you can't plan it - it's destiny, and you shouldn't stand between you and your destiny. I'm letting my destiny play its part, and I go by my gut feeling. If I like my role, I say yes; if I don't, I just refuse, as simple as that.

You have to make enough noise to be cast in the right films, and the best way to make that noise is to do lots of good work.

Love is a strange emotion. It is ever evolving. Lust is transient. With time, one realizes that love and togetherness are two different things. Very few people are lucky enough to experience the two emotions simultaneously.

I would really love to work with Clint Eastwood.

I knew that I wanted to be an actor; how to go about it was the question. I went to Australia for my studies; from there I told my dad that I also want to do a course in performing arts, but my father refused. So I completed my studies and came back. But I kept poking him, saying that acting is something that I want to do.

Horses are in our DNA. We used them way before cars for commuting.

From being a waiter, to a door-to-door salesman, to a car-washer, to a delivery boy - I have done it all.

Approaching people for work has not worked for me. People who came to me with work has worked.

You can't say the public likes generic characters. Give others a chance, go for a more rooted and honest characterisation, take some risk, and then let the public choose.

I used to run away from school to my village. But later, I went to the U.S. for studies and lost touch.

I would often take this bus and go to a nearby village where I had hordes of animal friends. I was hardly around four or five years old then. The conductor was so used to seeing me hop on to the bus and get down at the same place, that he never asked any questions. The strangest part is, he never asked for a ticket either!

I don't play the role of a villain, really, but I like playing anti-hero kind of roles. I like characters where there's conflict, drama, and more personal investment than just being heroes.

Be it Valentine's Day, Father's Day or Mother's Day, I feel all days are reminders of some feelings. February 14 doesn't hold any special relevance for me.