In spite of playing a small role in Monsoon Wedding, Randeep Hooda’s talent and presence caught the eye of many — including Sushmita Sen — and led to his high-profile solo debut in D in 2005. A couple of intense performances (box-office status notwithstanding) later, Randeep appears as a cop in good friend Vishram Sawant’s Risk. So how has the journey been, from a gangster to a cop? “I am playing the role of an honest human being who happens to be a cop. My character’s name is Suryakant. He is a cop who is in a dilemma, of doing his duty or remaining committed to his family that is paying a heavy price owing to his duty,” he reveals.

He is happy that the story of the film is different and should stand out. “It’s not a typical chor-police play. The movie is actually dedicated to such honest cops who, despite being strangled in the system are still focusing on eliminating organised crime. This guy knows the system is corrupt and instead of complaining, he looks for ways to bring in a ray of change.”

Randeep first worked with director Vishram Sawant during his stint with RGV, when he directed him in D. Their director-actor bonding and real-life friendship gets reflected in Risk, too. “We have been friends since four years and we share a great rapport. Vishram is not only a talented person, but also very amiable. He gets involved in the smallest of details. He wanted someone who is tough, aggressive and powerful for the role of a cop and found me apt for it. He is very much focused and knows what he wants. He makes sure he gets it right. So it was wonderful to work with somebody so creative and multi-faceted like Vishram,” he says, confident that the comfort level between the director and lead actor would help the film, even without the presence of their one-time mentor RGV in their lives.

Randeep’s look in the film is an important aspect which was worked upon keenly. “I am wearing that sense of attitude and the intense expression in me, which is so akin to a cop’s life. We also tried a lot of looks, but without the moustache that impact was not coming, so I had even grown a moustache and got a haircut like a typical cop, to fit well into the mould of a real-life cop,” he explains.

Another important aspect of the film is the fact that Randeep gets to work with Vinod Khanna who makes a come back of sorts. “I really enjoyed working with Vinod Khanna. It was indeed an honour to be sharing screen space with a superstar like him, who is so experienced. I got to learn many things from him. He is a very talented and a unique actor,” he says visibly pleased.

And then there is Tanushree Dutta, his heroine with whom he will share screen space for the first time. “Working with Tanushree was a wonderful experience. I can say she is very talented and a good dancer. I found her performance in the movie extremely different from the roles she has earlier played. Also, we had good fun on the sets, she seems very innocent but is quite a prankster,” he smiles.

However, when asked whether he would like to share a few interesting incidents on the sets, he says, “A lot of incidents keep happening. Really can’t recollect anything that way.” As he is also very reluctant to reveal anything about his new-found single status after his break-up with Sushmita Sen. The only thing that interests him now is his career. “I am currently working on Arjun Bali’s Ru Ba Ru which is a romantic film. So my first release for this year is Risk, Ru Ba Ru follows and then there are two more projects I’m doing which I’ll talk about when the time comes.”

HOW DAYA NAYAK TRAINED RANDEEP HOODA FOR THE COP’S ROLE:

The suspended supercop Daya Nayak, who became famous as the ‘encounter specialist’ on whom Ab Tak Chhappan was directly based, spent a lot of time with Randeep Hooda. Says Daya Nayak, “Randeep and his director Vishram Sawant came to me after they had finished their first film D. They wanted to make a cop film called Risk. My first request to them was to not make the cop look like a fool. I won’t name him, but one major leading man wore the cop’s cap front-to-back and was seen dancing in the garden with a girl. One of the more authentic films on a cop was Ramu’s Shool. But that showed the cop losing everything to remain true to his duty. Whether it was Ram Gopal Varma in Ab Tak Chhappan or Vishram Sawant in Risk they had to put in commercial elements. I instructed him on the length of the hair, the clothes, walk, etc.”

He’s equally impressed by both Nana and Randeep. “They’ve played characters based on me. Nana is a seasoned trouper. Randeep has the potential to become as big. I’m a big fan of Amitabh Bachchan. The industry is filled with my friends. Ram Gopal Varma is my closest friend in the industry. I respect and befriend anyone who has an artistic talent.”

When approached by Randeep, Nayak made it clear he won’t give confidential information about the workings of the police force. “Randeep used to visit my police station late night. We’d go patrolling together. He used to wonder how we coped with so many mosquitoes. I jokingly told him we were put in a room filled with mosquitoes when at the police station. He took it seriously! He came home, saw all my trophies for bravery…. Randeep spent a lot of time with me.”

There have been other occasions when Nayak has been approached to provide tips for cop films. “When Ram Gopal Varma was making Ab Tak Chhappan based on my life I requested him to make a decent film. They wanted to know physical details like how I hold the gun, etc. They’ve also made films like Kagaar and a Kannada film called Encounter. There’re 75,000 articles on me on Google.” Daya’s life is a source of constant curiosity for movie-makers. “My life resembles a movie. I come from a very poor family. I ran away from my village to Mumbai. I worked for several years in a hotel and attended a night school. I know my biography will be a sellout.”

Daya Nayak is proud of his association with the film industry. “I helped sort out problems pertaining to extortion and the underworld. When I began to fraternise with film folks I had to maintain a certain lifestyle. I think some of my colleagues got jealous. I was accused of being too speedy in my working style. In my opinion speed is important for optimum efficiency. I guess my sincerity of purpose got to some people. Fortunately all my friends from Bollywood still continue to be in touch with me.”

Nayak hates being called an ‘encounter specialist.’ “I hate it. I’m a Brahmin. To kill anyone deliberately is unthinkable to me. I don’t eat meat. I don’t drink. Not even tea or coffee. I’ve never attended film parties and functions. I’ve never met anyone at mahurats. Whatever happened in the line of duty was a painful necessity. Koi jaan-boojh ke to kiya nahin. No police officer is interested in killing anyone deliberately. I’ve worked sincerely and I’ll do so again as soon as my suspension is revoked. For now I spend a lot of time with my family. Since all the security has been taken away there’s a security threat to my family. I keep getting threatening calls. But I don’t let these setbacks bother me.”

Daya Nayak was to watch his alter ego in Risk last Friday. “With a live audience. I want to hear the roar of the audience. I just hope cops are shown in a good light. I hate it when an underworld don is shown living a glamorous life. No gangster can afford to come down from a helicopter. RGV has done a lot to improve the police force’s image.”