Charles Sobhraj, the notorious French serial killer of Indian and Vietnamese parentage, was deported to France on Friday, hours after being released from prison in Kathmandu where he served most of his sentence for a string of murders across Asia in the 1970s. Actor Randeep Hooda had once stepped into the shoes of Sobhraj for the 2015 film, Main Aur Charles. The movie revolves around Sobhraj’s escape from Delhi’s Tihar jail in 1986.
It takes a lot of work and dedication to prepare for a significant character, which is obviously not everyone’s cup of tea. Over the years, actor Randeep Hooda has developed a reputation for his method acting and compelling roles. It is simply amazing how much time and effort he spends on making his movie. From undergoing extreme weight loss to hair growth to thorough character research. When Randeep Hooda chooses a screenplay, it’s clear that he becomes completely engrossed in the role, and the result is pure enchantment. Not everyone knows this but Randeep, while he was shooting for ‘Main Aur Charles, went to jail specifically to meet Charles Sobhraj. The actor had to take special permission to meet him, which definitely sounds dangerous.
Is that a back handed compliment @timesofindia or did you genuinely get confused between the "real" and “reel” Charles Sobhraj ? 🤔😜 pic.twitter.com/5Fa1DwMjra
— Randeep Hooda (@RandeepHooda) December 23, 2022
But Randeep being Randeep, the actor does everything he can to get into the skin of the character and we can definitely see the results. People still mistaking him for real Charles is proof itself. His portrayal was so strong that publications and the public both kept confusing the real Charles with Randeep’s character look. While reporting about Sobhraj’s release from jail, a news publication used a still from the movie featuring a handcuffed Hooda, instead of using the original photo of the convicted killer. Hooda shared a picture of the same and wrote on Twitter, “Is that a back handed compliment @timesofindia or did you genuinely get confused between the “real” and “reel” Charles Sobhraj ? 🤔😜.”
But what really caught our attention was everyone on the Internet didn’t find the similarities surprising. A user wrote, “They got confused cause you literally metamorphosed into Charles Sobhraj for that role. Can’t blame them!”
Another one wrote,”Hahahahhahahah u were brillaint in it so im not surprised”
“Shows acting intensity pumped in the role. Take it as an achievement”
One also wrote, “oh… Human mistake. But you really made it difficult to differentiate b/w REAL and REEL.”
The internet is definitely not surprised and so are we. Well after watching his powerpack performance in Netflix Original’s CAT the audience is definitely impressed, considering him one of the most incredible actors of our times.
