Even though Randeep Hooda is evidently excited to begin work on his directorial debut, SwatantryaVeer Savarkar — based on the life of freedom fighter, activist, and writer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar — few would know that his appointment as director, was a chance occurrence.

The film on Savarkar, who developed the Hindu nationalist political ideology of Hindutva while imprisoned in Ratnagiri in 1922, was to be helmed by Mahesh Manjrekar, who had to eventually bail out due to scheduling issues.

Manjrekar tells mid-day, “SwatantryaVeer Savarkar was to begin in June, but got delayed, and I had to opt out. It was a mutual decision taken by the producers [Anand Pandit, Sandip Ssingh, and Sam Khan], Randeep and me, as I had other commitments. They wanted to begin shooting at the same time as Bigg Boss 4 Marathi rolled. Since I am the host of the show, I wouldn’t be able to do justice to the film.”

Ssingh confirms the development, adding that seeing as invested as Hooda was in the project, they handed the directorial baton to him. “Mahesh was our choice. But, Randeep had to lose 15 kilos for one leg, and another eight kilos for the next leg. So, the process was time consuming, and the dates were not aligning with those of Mahesh. Randeep has written the film with Utkarsh Naithani, and had already started losing weight for it. He is an evolved and involved actor, and he knew each and every thing about Savarkar. We sat down and discussed the issue, and he agreed to come aboard as director. He told us that it was his dream to become a director one day, so this film served as the ideal offer.”

The team plans to release the film on May 26, 2023, on the occasion of Veer Savarkar’s 140th birth anniversary.

In March, mid-day was the first to report that Randeep Hooda had been signed on to play Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in SwatantraVeer Savarkar (Savarkar is the most misunderstood hero, Mar 23). Two months on, remembering the freedom fighter on his 139th birth anniversary, the makers have shared Hooda’s first look from the biopic. Sporting a bushy moustache, round glasses and the signature cap, the actor bears a striking resemblance to the national hero. 

Looking the part, however, is only the first step. Hooda knows it will be a tough road ahead as he teams up with director Mahesh Manjrekar to shine a spotlight on the hero’s contribution towards India’s fight for freedom. “This is a salute to one of the tallest unsung heroes of India’s freedom struggle. I hope I can live up to the challenge of filling such big shoes, and tell his real story that had been brushed under the carpet for so long,” says the actor. 

Slated to go on floors in August, the Anand Pandit-backed film will revisit Savarkar’s early association with the revolutionary group India House in the UK, his imprisonment at the Cellular Jail and the later years when he advocated social unity. Manjrekar says that in Hooda, he has found a leading man who is deeply committed to doing justice to the role.

“Randeep was 20 kilos heavier than how we had visualised him. I was skeptical [about the casting] since he was well-built, and Savarkar was lean. But Randeep surprised us by losing 10 kilos within a month. He intends to drop another 10 kilos,” says the director.

He is equally impressed by the actor’s deep-dive into the revolutionary’s life. While Manjrekar has spent over a year with the research team to ensure historical accuracy in the film, he admits that his leading man’s knowledge on the subject is vast. “It’s rare that an actor is more well-read than the writing team. It’s nice to be working with an actor who is on the same page. We have read extensively and found necessary references, but he has read far more than us.”

Producer Sandeep Singh adds, “Savarkar is the most misunderstood hero, and it is high time we understood him.”