In 2016, Hooda starred in four films, the first one was the drama thriller "Laal Rang", based around illegal blood selling. The film was a box office failure and received a lukewarm response from critics. Hooda's performance was highlighted as the only bright spot in the film. Omung Kumar's biographical drama "Sarbjit", was his next release, where he portrayed the role of Sarabjit Singh, who was captured by Pakistan and later sentenced to death by their Supreme Court for alleged terrorism. Hooda lost eighteen kg of weight in 28 days for the preparation of the role. The film premiered at the 69th Cannes Film Festival, and received mixed reactions from critics. Anupama Chopra called Hooda "terrific". "Sarbjit" proved to be a box-office success. Hooda's next release was Deepak Tijori's "Do Lafzon Ki Kahani" alongside Kajal Aggarwal. A remake of the 2011 Korean film "Always", the film was a critical and commercial failure. His final release of 2016 was the sports drama "Sultan", co-starring Salman Khan and Anushka Sharma, where he played the coach of Sultan. With earnings of over worldwide, it ranks among Indian cinema's biggest grossers.