Randeep Hooda has never been one to shy away from intense roles or emotional honesty. And in a recent interview with Shubhankar Mishra on YouTube, the Jaat actor got real about one of his biggest career projects: the Battle of Saragarhi movie. A film that, despite all the passion and effort he poured into it, never made it to the big screen.

Why was Battle of Saragarhi shelved?

Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, production of the movie began well before the release of Kesari, which starred Akshay Kumar and portrayed the same historic event. Hooda revealed that he had fully immersed himself in the role of Havildar Ishar Singh, committing three whole years to the film. He didn’t shave his beard throughout that period and even turned down a role in the sequel to Extraction to remain dedicated to the project.

“Uske baad Kesari bani thi. Uske doran hi shuru kar di thi which was in bad taste…” he said, clearly still hurt by how things unfolded. He revealed that around 30 to 40 per cent of the film had already been shot when it was shelved due to Kesari’s success. “Woh picture ki shooting bhi hui. Woh lalchi logon ke lalach ki vajah se nahi bani. Usme main akela hi Sikh tha. Baki koi Sikh nahin tha,” he added, hinting at internal issues and poor decision-making behind the scenes.

What made the Battle of Saragarhi movie so special for Randeep Hooda?

What made this project especially personal for Hooda was his deep respect for the Sikh community. He didn’t want to play just another stereotypical version of a Sardar. He was determined to get it right. “Bahut Sikh religion pe aur Sikh bhavano pe dhala tha. Maine kasam kahi thi Guru Granth Sahib ke samne...” he shared. He described the Sikh community as “humble” and “cultured,” and wanted his performance to reflect that with dignity.

So, when the film was scrapped, it hit him hard. “Bahut hi depression ho gaya tha,” he confessed. He also mentioned that he wasn’t doing any other projects for three years and faced financial difficulties. Meanwhile, Kesari went on to be a commercial hit, with Akshay Kumar portraying the same historical figure, and now its sequel, Kesari 2, is releasing in theatres soon. But for Randeep Hooda, the shelving of Battle of Saragarhi remains the one big regret of his life.

Randeep Hooda was recently seen in the movie Jaat alongside Sunny Deol. He was also seen in Swatantrya Veer Savarkar as Veer Savarkar. He is currently working on Matchbox alongside John Cena.

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