Actor Randeep Hooda said he hoped that ‘Radhe’ might bring some solace to the audience as the country is battered by the deadly second wave of coronavirus.

Hooda said it was similar to the situation before the release of his Netflix actioner ‘Extraction’ in April 2020.

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“When ‘Extraction’ was released, the whole world was under lockdown. We felt relieved that we were able to take people’s mind off the pandemic for two hours and entertain them in their homes. Now the whole world is not under lockdown but India is having its second wave and it is worse than before. So, now ‘Radhe’ is releasing. My hope is that once again people take their minds off from the depressing situation, even if it is for two hours,” said Hooda as quoted by PTI in an interview.

‘Radhe’ started streaming on multiple platforms, including OTT and DTH services, from Thursday.

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Talking about his camaraderie with Salman Khan, Hooda told PTI that although their relationship has “gone through ups and downs,” they have shared a “friendship for many years.”

“I was chasing him in ‘Kick’, training in ‘Sultan’ and now I’m testing what he has learnt in ‘Radhe’. That sums up our professional journey. It is always a pleasure working with him,” he added.

Reflecting on his career, the 44-year-old actor admitted that he is “guilty” of doing lesser work in his 20-year stint in Bollywood, but is grateful that filmmakers still find him fascinating as an actor.

With her highly lauded 2001 film ‘Monsoon Wedding,’ filmmaker Mira Nair gave Hooda his big break and showed the world what he is capable of.

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The Rohtak-born actor believes he has an “underrated” talent that has yet to be discovered by directors. “I do believe that I’m still unexplored, which is a great thing when you have worked for such a long time,” he added.

His latest film, ‘Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai’, reunited him with Salman Khan in his role as the antagonist Rana.

Backed by Salman Khan Films and Reel Life Production Private Limited, the film is produced by Salman Khan and Sohail Khan.