Born on August 20, 1976, Randeep Hooda hails from Rohtak, Haryana. Randeep's father Dr. Ranbir Hooda, is a medical surgeon and mother Asha Devi Hooda, a social worker. Randeep has two siblings - elder sister Anjali Hooda Sangwan, who is a doctor by profession and specialises in weight loss and diabetes control, and younger brother Sandeep Hooda, who is an engineer. (All photos/Randeep Hooda's official Instagram account)

"My sister Dr Anjali Hooda-Sangwan followed our father's footsteps and became a doctor; in fact, she is one of the country's leading US-trained obesity medicine specialists," said the star readily admitting to the close ties between them.

In picture: (L to R) Randeep Hooda's mum, his sister Anjali and him.

Anjali is a few years older than Randeep and was on the national swimming team at the MNSS Rai academy which he too attended and where their bond grew. In fact, it was watching his elder sister act in the school production of the West Side Story that inspired Randeep to become an actor.

In picture: Randeep with his sister Anjali Hooda Sangwan

During the prep of his film Charles Sobhraj, Randeep Hooda had revealed that he turned to her for advice on transforming physically for his role requirements. He also said that it is his sister who handles his bank accounts, too.

In picture: Childhood picture of Randeep Hooda with his siblings

An MBA in marketing from Australia, Randeep's stint with movies started with Monsoon Wedding and it was followed by movies like Darna Zaroori Hai, D Company and Ru Ba Ru. However, it was his tough cop act in Once Upon A Time In Mumbai that gave him success.

In picture: Randeep Hooda with his father Dr. Ranbir Hooda.

Things started changing for Hooda professionally after OUATIM. When he faced failure before, he took a hiatus from acting. But that film brought the actor back in a big way. Soon, directors and production houses started looking at Randeep Hooda as an actor who can carry bigger parts and a longer screen presence.

In picture: A young Randeep Hooda with his school friends.

There was a time, roughly a decade ago, when Hooda went through a low phase for two years, one unsuccessful movie after another. He even felt that acting was not a profession for him and went away on a self-exploration trip. Randeep did theatre throughout though. Rightly admitting so, Randeep Hooda was quoted (in 2011), "Today, the fire within me has only grown because I lost out on those big opportunities. I was too full of myself. I was this young boy with 'extra blood' in me. I didn't have the right guidance. I thought all I had to do was stand in front of the camera, and things would work out. I realise now that's not true. A film is a team effort. Thanks to Naseeruddin Shah with whom I worked in the play Waiting for Godot, I realised one has to bag the kind of projects and roles that are remembered."

Randeep Hooda's reclusive nature has often been misunderstood as being arrogant. But the actor is completely opposite to the popular perception. "I am trying to change myself. I live a very unbalanced life actually. If I am smoking, drinking, holidaying... I just do it too much. So if I am working I just do it too much and don't have time to meet people. I am generally a quiet guy, who likes to keep to himself and this is often misunderstood as being snooty," he said.

In picture: Randeep Hooda on the sets of Sarbjit

On the personal front, Randeep Hooda was involved with Sushmita Sen and Neetu Chandra in the past. When asked if he ever felt betrayed in life, Randeep was quoted saying, "My parents used to work in the Middle East. They left me with my grandmother to work there and earn for my education. But because they left me and I was very young, for many years I had that deep sense of betrayal and abandonment." But the feeling of being abandoned kind of helps him emote better on the big screen.

In picture: Randeep Hooda with his father

Hooda considers his family as his biggest critic and counts on them from time to time. "My family is my biggest critic. Since they come from a non-filmi background they give me an audience's point of view. They have been very supportive of me," he said.

In picture: Randeep Hooda with his mother

While a lot of people feel Randeep Hooda is anti-social, let us tell you, he enjoys company. However, the Jat boy was never a regular at parties. "I attend one or two parties in a year. It's a little unsettling when people at a party come up to you and compliment your work. At such times, you have to remind yourself that hey, you are hearing such nice things because of your work. So go back and work harder."

In picture: A still from Love Aaj Kal 2

One of the most interesting facts about him that he revealed to mid-day was when he was in Australia for studies, he did many part-time jobs for pocket money. "I have been a cab driver, a bartender, and even tried my hand at becoming a gigolo, but the agent asked me to go to a couple. And I was like: What the f**k? I told him, 'Thank you very much' and left."

In picture: Randeep Hooda with Imtiaz Ali on the sets of Highway

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.

That's Bambi, Randeep Hooda's cute doggo! He is a true-blue zoophilist. 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.

In picture: Randeep Hooda with his adorable pet Bambi

Likewise, Randeep has treated many wounded birds including an eagle, which was just about to be sold.

Coming back to the work front, after featuring in the Chris Hemsworth-starrer Extraction, Randeep Hooda is keen to go international now. As a first step, he has signed up with a Hollywood talent management agency, which has offices in New York and Los Angeles. As an actor, he wants to reach out to as many people as possible and learn new things about his craft.

In picture: A still from the movie Extraction

We are looking forward to seeing a new beginning. Here's wishing a very happy birthday to Randeep Hooda!