Hooda's first film in 2012 was Kunal Deshmukh's crime thriller Jannat 2, a sequel to Jannat (2008). Jannat 2 received mixed reviews from critics and Hooda was praised for his performance. Taran Adarsh wrote, "the actor delivers yet another knockout performance. He dominates in several sequences, making you realize that if given an opportunity, the guy can steal the thunder from the best of actors." Sonia Chopra of Sify said, "Randeep Hooda is the best thing about the film." It was a commercial success and earned a domestic revenue of over ₹410 million (US$6.3 million). Hooda's next appearance was in Pooja Bhatt's erotic thriller Jism 2 opposite Sunny Leone. The film and Hooda's performance received mixed reviews from critics. Lisa Tsering of The Hollywood Reporter said Hooda "smolders to the best of his ability in the role of a violent criminal". Rajeev Masand, who was less impressed by his performance, wrote, "The usually dependable Hooda, goes a little overboard with all the feeling; alternating clunkily between melancholic and hyper, Hooda constructs a wildly implausible character that inspires most of the unintended laughs in this film". Jism 2 was a moderate commercial success, earning ₹350 million (US$5.4 million) in India.