From speaking about racism to raising awareness about chronic hunger, Randeep Hooda has been a champion of social causes

Randeep Hooda

Randeep Hooda is a man of wears many hats. While he is most popularly known for his acting skills, he is known to have many more interests. Over the years, Randeep has used his celebrity status to be the voice of many social causes. As he turns a year older on August 20, we take a look at the causes Randeep Hooda has been the face of.

Randeep Hooda has used the power of words to express his thoughts on various social issues. He had once contributed to 'In The Script', a column published by Asian Correspondent as a guest writer. His article titled "Racism against Indians in Australia ..." discussed the violence against Indians in Australia controversy. The actor penned down his personal experience in Australia, where he was subjected to racial discrimination. In the article, he wrote, "My experiences were not in my mind incidents of racial discrimination but more a challenge of an individual assertion of mental and physical superiority". In conclusion, he wrote, "The point is to get tough inside out, play a sport apart from cricket, have heart and stand up in unity and say 'we'll not take shit'. All it needs is a few pioneers and I'm proud to say that I tried [and will continue to do so] and I hope a few others do that too."

In 2011, Hooda began writing a blog for Hindustan Times.

In September 2010, Hooda and Jackky Bhagnani appeared in a charity fashion show for Khushi, Kapil Dev's NGO to improve poor communities in India.

The following year, Hooda raised public awareness of chronic hunger in India. He presented a video to the cast and crew of Jism 2, who shared it on their social media accounts.

In December 2012, Hooda participated in an anti-suicide initiative with Imtiaz Ali, Rahul Bose, Mahesh Bhupati, and Nishikant Kamath. Hooda, who had failed Class 12, said, "Don't accept defeat. Fight back adversities. Failure is a myth. Every experience is a just fodder for the future. Suicide doesn't solve the problem, It ends you."

Not many in Bollywood can boast of equestrian leanings, but Randeep Hooda can. He is known for his fondness of horses and has quite a few number of horses in a stable in the city. Needless to say, Hooda makes sure they are taken care of. Randeep has been a regular horse rider since his school days.On being asked about his equestrian association, the Jat boy has a philosophical reason. Randeep believes the unwritten laws applied to acting and horse-riding are similar in nature. "In both fields, the principles are the same. As an actor, you have to draw a parallel with the subject at hand and become the character you're playing. Similarly, while riding a horse, you and the horse become one and the connection created helps in making the ride a much smoother one," he said.

While he admitted that he cannot claim to be a champion for animal causes, he does love them and hates to watch them suffer. And somehow, Hooda has had many encounters with animals in distress. He picked up one injured stray dog one day and now it's his pet. Likewise, Randeep has treated many wounded birds including an eagle, which was just about to be sold.