Actor Randeep Hooda says that getting into the role of Sarabjit Singh, an Indian farmer imprisoned in Pakistan and condemned to death for terrorism, for Omung Kumar's biopic "Sarbjit" affected him tremendously and people around him thought he was an "ass".
"Everybody thought I was an ass... everybody around me just had enough of me... it somewhere has affected me. There is a certain sense of gloom that has come about since this movie," said Randeep at the trailer launch of the film.
"I have to keep telling myself, that 'look, you did not go through 23 years of your life in prison, you did not go through all that hardship, you did not go through solitary confinement', that is something that I have to keep reminding myself," he added.
Randeep also said that the first time he heard the movie was being made was when "somebody forwarded to me an article when the real Dalbir Kaur was saying that she would like me to play the role, and I was like 'Really!'. I then did more research and by the time I met Omung, I knew him very well".
He said that Omung provided him Sarabjit's letters, pictures and video footage and they decided that Randeep should lose weight so that his "plight could come out better". He also started learning Punjabi and even arranged for a tooth mould from Canada, to show his tooth decay.
"I went through the letters, I made his thoughts mine, I made his words mine. I have written many letters, which I have not sent to Omung, which I will never send, because now I read them and I think they're too personal. I used to sit at home in the chains and lie in my bathroom for a long time, and write letters to Omung, as if he was my sister, but I would address it as Omung."
"Sorry Omung, if you love me enough I will give you those letters."
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan plays the role of his sister Dalbir Kaur, who tried rigorously for his release.
