I had no apprehensions kissing a man in John Day - Randeep Hooda

When we met Randeep Hooda at the famous Nagi bungalow, he was pacing up and down the stairs evidently frustrated at sweltering heat generated inside by the TV camera crews. But the magnanimous Jat that he is, Randeep entertained one and all. Once done with them, Randeep sat down with us on a cushy bed and over long drags on his cigarette explained why he chose to play a dark character that had to kiss a man in John Day. We believe you are playing a character with dark shades in John Day. Could you throw more light on character? I would say this is the darkest character of my career yet. The lead role in this movie is played by Naseeruddin Shah and I can talk about my character only in comparison to him. Naseer saab is John Day, a well-respected, God-fearing person and on the other hand there is my character, Gautam Savan, who is an orphan and has faced some real tough times in his life due to which he feels that the world has ganged up against him. And to exact revenge for the same, my character inflicts bad pain on people. Then comes a day when both mine and Naseer saab’s paths cross and here the fine line between good and bad gets blurred. It’s basically a crime thriller drama which unfolds in a whodunit way. What made you choose this script? Naseer saab had already accepted this script before me. That was inspiration enough. When I read it, I got absolutely hooked onto it. I saw a lot of possibilities in this character wherein I felt that I could experience the type of person that this character is and could also use instances from my own life while playing it. Do you have a real dark side in you? (Thinks) Well I have all the dark qualities that are common to every other human being. I am not a saint. But I have the righteousness of a ‘Jat’ in me. I get angry at times; I drink at times and fight as well. But then you will find these in every individual. You have kissed a guy in Bombay Talkies and now we hear you have a smooch scene with a guy again, in John Day too. Was it difficult or… (Cuts in) I have kissed a guy in an amorous way in Bombay Talkies. But in this movie, I have kissed a guy to fish his tongue out, suck it and bite it off. So there is a difference. Was there any apprehension on your part while kissing a guy for the second time? (Grinds his teeth) I have never felt any apprehension doing anything which is morally right and not shamed upon by the society because it is my duty as an actor to portray all aspects of emotion and passion that any human being is capable of. Otherwise there is no f***ing reason to call myself an actor. You have been through your share of relationships. Are you going strong with anyone currently? (Blows out a thick smoke) No. I am not dating anyone simply because I don’t have the time. It’s unfair because of my bohemian nomadic lifestyle and subject a girl to that lifestyle. That’s why I am not inclined on dating anyone right now. We have seen you play different roles in movies. How do you choose your characters? You see, I was sitting all these while at home and have been a beggar. Beggars cannot be choosers. So whatever character comes to me, I choose it from them and I don’t plan my career much. I believe whatever God gives, he gives you the best. Finally you have another biggie Kick with Salman. Are you excited? Very excited. I am honoured that I am a part of a project which has superstar Salman Khan and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala.