'Randeep Hasn't Had It Easy But...'

'He surprised us by telling us he wanted to make a career in acting.' 'We were scared since we knew nothing of this profession but then, he landed a role in Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding.' 'After seeing him holding his own on screen, we decided to let the boy pursue his passion.'

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"I have seen every film of Randeep's at least two times in theatres," Asha tells Rediff Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya. "On TV and OTT, every time I come across one of his films playing, I watch it till the end even if I have seen it countless times before."

'Randeep ran out with a stick, embarrassing me'

Randeep was a lovable child, and a naughty one too, but that didn't bother me because I have always believed that thodi si shararat (a little mischief) keeps the brain active and sharp. When he was around two, I used to teach in a school in Rohtak, Haryana, and Randeep would sometimes follow me to class, peeking out at the other children from behind my chair. The principal of the school was very strict and whenever he caught Randeep, he would reprimand him for disturbing my class. (Laughs) One day, he came home and Randeep ran out with a stick, embarrassing me. When my daughter Anjali was in Standard 1, I had sent her to Rai (a village and development block in the Sonipat district of Haryana) to stay with my mother since both my husband (Randeep's father, Ranbir Singh Hooda, is a surgeon) and I (Asha was a teacher and social worker) were busy and travelling extensively. We enrolled her at the Motilal Nehru School of Sports in Rai where she excelled academically, going on to become a doctor. When Randeep was in Standard 4, my husband decided to move to the Middle East and we sent Randeep to his nani's place in Rai as well, so that his studies would not be affected. He was admitted to the same school as Anjali. Only my youngest child, Sandeep, now a software engineer working with a bank in Singapore, travelled with us.

'He is an expert rider and owns horses in Mumbai'