Akshaye Khanna reached a new level of stardom after his performance in Dhurandhar went viral, but before the Ranveer Singh-starrer, it was his menacing performance as Aurangzeb in Chhaava that received resounding praise. While Akshaye was widely appreciated in Chhaava, he wasn’t the first choice for the role. In a recent interaction, Randeep Hooda revealed that he was initially approached to play Aurangzeb. However, due to professional and personal conflicts at the time, he had to let go of the role.
Randeep on why he left Chhaava
Speaking to Zoom, Randeep shared that since he had undergone a dramatic physical transformation for his film Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, he felt he would not be able to convincingly portray Aurangzeb. Around the same time, he was also dealing with an IP court case involving the film, which further influenced his decision to avoid taking up another politically sensitive role. “I was going through an IP court case and I had so much Hindu-Muslim thing going on in the whole narrative and I just did not want to go down that street,” he said.
Though Randeep could not star in director Laxman Utekar’s Chhaava, he will next be seen in his biographical drama chronicling the life of legendary Marathi Tamasha and Lavani artiste Vithabai Bhau Mang Narayangaonkar. The film also stars Shraddha Kapoor. “So after that when this movie [Eetha] came on board, I liked it,” he said.
Chhaava emerged as one of the biggest hits of 2025. The film, which starred Vicky Kaushal in the lead role, minted ₹808 crore worldwide. It also featured Rashmika Mandanna, Vineet Kumar Singh, Ashutosh Rana and Divya Dutta in pivotal roles.
About Swatantrya Veer Savarkar legal dispute
For the unversed, Randeep was involved in an IP court conflict with the producers of Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. The actor had claimed 100% ownership of the film’s intellectual property. His co-producers, Sandeep Singh and Anand Pandit (Legend Studios and Anand Pandit Motion Pictures), strongly objected to the claim. Eventually, both parties arrived at a settlement, with the producers retaining 51% ownership and Randeep holding 49%.
The film also sparked intense Hindu-Muslim political and ideological debates, as it was based on the life of freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who advocated armed revolution and assertive Hindu nationalism — ideas that sharply contrasted with Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence and secular inclusivity.
Randeep Hooda’s recent work and personal life
On the work front, Randeep Hooda was recently seen in Inspector Avinash Season 2. The show, directed by Neeraj Pathak, premiered on JioHotstar on May 15.
On the personal front, Randeep’s life has become much happier and fuller with joy. He and wife Lin Laishram recently welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Nyomica Hooda.
