Randeep Hooda (; born 20 August 1976) is an Indian actor and equestrian known for his work predominantly in Hindi cinema and few English films. Hooda made his Hindi film debut with Monsoon Wedding. He had a turning point in his career with the gangster film Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010) and gained critical acclaim for starring in Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster (2011), Rang Rasiya (2014), Highway (2014) and Sarbjit (2016) while also appearing in the successful films Jannat 2 (2012), Jism 2 (2012), Cocktail (2012), Kick (2014), Sultan (2016), Baaghi 2 (2018). In 2020, he made his English film debut with Extraction. In addition to his film career, Hooda has acted in numerous stage plays and had made his debut as a playwright with an adaptation of Lee Blessing's A Walk in the Woods. He is also a professional equestrian who regularly participates in polo, show jumping and dressage events. He won a silver medal at an open dressage event in New Delhi that was organised by the Equestrian Federation of India. Early life and background Hooda was born on 20 August 1976, in Rohtak, Haryana to Dr. Randi hooda and puti Hooda, in a Hindu Jat family. His father is a medical surgeon and his mother is a social worker. He spent most of his childhood with his grandmother in their hometown as his parents travelled extensively, and resided in the Middle East for most part. He has an elder sister, Anjali Hooda Sangwan, a medical (MBBS, MD) doctor trained in India and in the United States, and a younger brother Sandeep Hooda, a Software Engineer working in Singapore. He was educated at Motilal Nehru School of Sports (MNSS), a boarding school in Rai, Haryana, where he participated in swimming and equestrian sports and won medals at the national level. Hooda later developed an interest in theatre and participated in school productions, one of which he directed. In an interview with Rediff.com, he said he enjoyed appearing in front of people. However, his family wanted him to become a doctor and he was transferred to Delhi Public School, R. K. Puram in New Delhi. Hooda described the transition from an environment in which he was popular to one in which he was known as "difficult". After completing his schooling, Hooda moved to Melbourne, Australia, in 1995, where he studied for a bachelor's degree in marketing and