Showing posts with label Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. Show all posts
I am no longer the island that I used to be-Randeep Hooda
9:59 AM
Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; May 13, 2025)
Known for his intense screen presence and versatile performances, Randeep Hooda reveals that personally, there’s been a transformation in him after his marriage to actress Lin Laishram in November 2023. The actor believes that his marriage has played a pivotal role in bringing about a change in the way he engages with the world.
‘Today, I’m more willing to put myself out there’
Reflecting on how there’s been a mindset shift post marriage, Randeep shared, “I’m no longer the island (isolated person) I used to be. I can still be that island, but now there’s always a bridge back to the mainland through Lin. I’ve become calmer, more open to new experiences and more sociable. Today, I’m more willing to put myself out there and be presentable. There have been great changes in my life, and I’m incredibly grateful to her. She’s a spiritual person, and her calming influence has brought a lot of peace into my life. She’s introduced me to a positive routine with fewer late nights, and it’s definitely been beneficial,” said Randeep, who was recently seen playing the antagonist in Jaat, starring Sunny Deol.
‘After directing a film myself, I have a newfound respect for my directors’
Randeep, who helmed Swatantrya Veer Savarkar last year, plans to take his role as a director ahead. He explained, “I’m excited about directing more films in the future. Right now, I’m writing two projects — one is an international film, and the other is a high-octane action movie.”
Though acting remains his first love, Randeep admits he missed the responsibility and power that comes with being a director when he was on the set of Jaat.
“As an actor, there’s often a lot of downtime, and that was a challenge for me when I shot for a film after Savarkar. I found myself restless in my vanity van with nothing to do. But it’s also a relief that someone else is handling all the problems and challenges that come with filmmaking. After directing, I have a newfound respect for my directors. I’ve always respected them, but stepping into their shoes gave me a deeper understanding of the endless list of issues they have to manage,” said the Highway actor.
After losing 30 kgs for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, Randeep Hooda transforms yet again; gains 8 kgs for Jaat
8:09 AM
Playing a brute gangster in Jaat, actor Randeep Hooda gains eight kilos to attain a bulky look; trains with a dialect coach to perfect the Haryanvi accent
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 13, 2025)
Give Randeep Hooda a powerful role, and he will mould himself physically to become the character. From achieving the emaciated look for Sarbjit (2016) to losing over 30 kilos for his last offering Swatantrya Veer Savarkar (2024), the actor is no stranger to physical transformation. He has gone down the road again for Jaat, where he plays a ruthless gangster Ranatunga pitted against leading man Sunny Deol.
The actor’s look was recently unveiled in a teaser. For the Gopichand Malineni-directed actioner, Hooda had to bulk up, gaining eight kilos and adding muscle mass. Sources tell us that the actor trained for 11 months before he reported to the shoot last September.
A source reveals, “Randeep’s daily regimen consisted of intense weight-lifting, functional fitness drills, and combat-style workouts designed to enhance agility and power. Along with his trainer Durgesh Gudilu, he focused on compound movements like deadlifts, squats, and bench presses, ensuring his frame carried the imposing presence required for the character. Alongside strength training, he incorporated boxing and MMA-inspired drills, to lend aggression to his movements that would reflect in the action sequences.”
With Malineni designing Jaat as a full-blown actioner, he envisioned Hooda’s Ranatunga as a rugged and brute gangster hailing from Haryana, who could hold his own against Deol. With that brief, the actor-director duo, along with the styling team, arrived at his avatar—a bulky physique, grimy appearance, unkempt hair, and aggressive body language.
The source breaks it down further, saying, “From day one, Randeep was committed to making Ranatunga an intimidating villain. The unkempt hair complements his hardened visage. He also worked extensively on his body language. His gait and posture were meticulously crafted to make his character appear terrifying. For 12 weeks, the actor also worked with a dialect coach to perfect the Haryanvi twang.”
The upcoming movie also stars Regina Cassandra and Saiyami Kher.
Half Yearly Classification 2024: Kalki 2898 AD and Munjya are the biggest hits of the year
8:25 AM
Box Office India Trade Network
The box office has been a struggle in 2024 and there has been no big BLOCKBUSTER in the first half of the year. The last month in the first half proved to be good with the two biggest HITS of the year (MUNJYA and KALKI 2898 AD) coming in this month.
KALKI 2898 AD is the biggest HIT of the first half and it could have been even bigger if the mass circuits continued how they started as then the film could have been looking at the 300 crore nett mark or thereabouts. But post the weeeknd collections started to drop in B and C centres and single screens. However, the bigger centres have sustained extremely well.
MUNJYA is the sleeper HIT of the year driven by BLOCKBUSTER business in Maharashtra. The film will finish up with business of around 100 crore nett which would be unthinkable before release although the trailer was decent due to the creature. The film is the biggest original Hindi film of the year so far.
SRIKANTH was also another surprise winner in the second quarter which took full benefit of the open run in May and had a solid sustained run for weeks. SHAITAAN and ARTICLE 370 were the HIT films of the first quarter while TERI BAATON MEIN AISA ULJHA JIYA and CREW also did well.
The second half is likely to see a BLOCKBUSTER with PUSHPA 2 - THE RULE but it is a film from the South and the Hindi film industry will also need to deliver one or two big HITS just to build confidence. If that doesn't happen, it will be pretty much a disaster year.
The half yearly classification for 2024 is as follows.
All Time Blockbuster
-
Super Blockbuster
-
Blockbuster
-
Super Hit
1. KALKI 2898 AD
2. MUNJYA
Hit
3. SHAITAAN
4. ARTICLE 370
Semi Hit
5. TERI BAATON MEIN AISA ULJA JIYA
6. CREW
7. SRIKANTH
Average
8. FIGHTER
9. MADGAON EXPRESS
Below Average
10. SWATANTRYA VEER SAVARKAR
11. LAAPATAA LADIES
Mumbai circuit gets back on track; Fighter collects better than Dunki
8:41 AM
Box Office India Trade Network
The Mumbai circuit has seen poor returns post the pandemic but has seen a good upturn this year driven by the major centres in Maharashtra. The Thane belt was doing well since cinema returned in 2021 but this year has seen Mumbai city and Pune also start recording some good numbers.
The Mumbai and Delhi/UP circuit had got pretty similar in the 21-23 period for films in a certain zone. It is likely that if CREW and TERI BAATON MEIN AISA ULJHA JIYA came in 2022, they would not have got these numbers in Mumbai circuit and numbers will be closer to the Delhi/UP numbers.
The 60 crore nett plus number of the biggest grosser FIGHTER is not great but despite being an action film, it has beaten DUNKI which has a genre is better for Mumbai circuit and that too directed by Rajkumar Hirani whose films score heavy in Mumbai circuit due to humour element.
Films like MADGAON EXPRESS and SWATANTRYA VEER SAVARKAR are actually HIT films in Mumbai circuit though they met with a horrible fate outside the circuit. ARTICLE 370 was the standout in Mumbai this year though other circuits again were not as good. This would also have been tough a year or two back.
This circuit getting better numbers is the only good news in the crisis facing the film industry and its coming with the Gujarat side not really doing well. No film has done well in Gujarat this year and when both Maharashtra and Gujarat fire, it makes a huge difference.
The top ten films of 2024 in Mumbai circuit are as follows
1. Fighter - 62,04,00,000
2. Shaitaan - 46,64,00,000 (8 weeks)
3. Article 370 - 32,40,00,000 (10 weeks)
4. Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya - 27,28,50,000
5. Crew - 25,15,00,000 (5 Weeks)
6. Madgaon Express - 18,60,00,000 (6 weeks)
7. Bade Miyan Chote Miyan - 17,65,00,000 (3 weeks)
8. Swatantrya Veer Savarkar - 16,80,00,000 (6 weeks)
9. Maidaan - 15,75,00,000 (3 weeks)
10. Laapataa Ladies - 6,15,00,000 (9 weeks)
My sister warned that if I lost more weight, she’d break my cameras and walk out-Randeep Hooda
8:11 AM
Before and after
In a candid interaction with mid-day, Randeep Hooda chronicles the pain he endured to shed 32 kilos and remain underweight for 18 months as he breathed life into his character for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; April 10, 2024)
While production timelines in the film industry are often breached, the implications of a delay in filming Swatantrya Veer Savarkar significantly impacted Randeep Hooda, who took on the Herculean task of shedding 32 kilos for the offering. A defined deadline to commence and conclude the film had been contractually set, but “obviously that did not happen”.
For Hooda, while the decision of his producers to back out of the film may have taken an emotional toll, it was his physical health that also took a hit. “This time around, I was underweight for one-and-a-half years,” he says, while drawing parallels with the programme he previously followed while taking on a similar task for Sarbjit (2016).
“When the previous producers shelved the movie, I had lost all my muscle mass. I recall passing out and tumbling off [my] horse. My calf was bent at a right angle to my thigh, which makes me realise how weak I may have been.”
On regaining consciousness, Hooda recalls “pushing my leg back in place”, and subsequently spending the following eight weeks in bed, indulging in “revenge eating”. “That’s what happens when you deprive yourself of food for a long time. I couldn’t even walk. Then, I took help from [a] physiotherapist, and started practicing walking on the treadmill under water. I had a sequence to execute in the film where my character, Mr Savarkar, escapes in France. This training was essential for that.”
Losing weight, twice over
When work on the film commenced again, that actor needed to “quickly shed weight”. “I had to be losing [a] kilo a day for a certain number of days. That’s when I adopted the fast mimicking diet, which led me back to the place I had been working towards for months. It was very tough. I would often feel extremely weak, and would faint. It’s a terrible thing for an actor to go through. But, I believe, looking the part is something every actor should do. It should be the [very least] one does. I had planned things out, but they didn’t work out. So, the longer that [I had to adhere to the diet], the more frustrated I became. I had to suffer due to lack of organization, and had to do it twice over,” says the actor, who also turned to his sister, Dr Anjali Hooda Sangwan, for assistance.
“She also features in the film, as the guiding light for Mr. Savarkar. On set, she was always worried for me. She’d keep a check on my stats and blood report, and, at one point, warned that if I lost more weight, she’d break my cameras and walk out.”
Hooda now speaks of the Herculean task with humour, but admits that enduring it as an actor was no mean feat. That he had been playing the role of a 92-kilo “khata peeta” cop with a paunch before commencing this film implies that he had a long way to go before he hit his target of 60 kilos.
“This is the least I have weighed. Also, because I was directing the film, I had taken on an added challenge. It was a test of patience, not only for me, but also for the remaining cast and crew. My mind was clouded, and often I felt [I could hear] voices from a distance. I’d lose my patience quickly, and often. But, I made everybody aware of the fact that I was going through something that was not in my control, and requested them to bear with me. I was concerned about the fact that I had been underweight for too long. At one point, I was begging the people involved to finish the shoot so I could get back to [eating normally].”
Not done yet?
When Hooda’s dramatic pictures first made their way to social media, netizens were quick to compare his efforts to those of Hollywood actor Christian Bale, who had taken on a similar task for his role in The Machinist. And while a listener hearing about the daunting feat may assume that an actor would never wish to tread the path again, Hooda, like Bale, only “thinks” he is “done” with such transformations.
“The thing is, you first take on a role if it appeals to you, and then when you get into it, you realise this is something you may need to do. That’s when it hits you. So, it’s an afterthought. Each time that I take on a film like this one, my parents make me promise that I won’t do it again. It’s not just the physical trauma, but also the emotional and financial one that one bears. My parents told me they wouldn’t stay with me in Mumbai if I did it again. And so, I promised them I wouldn’t, but, I’m not sure. I feel like I don’t want to go through this anymore, but if there’s a role that [I am drawn to, I may]. In this case, after I read about the injustice that Mr Savarkar endured, and learned about his contributions to the freedom struggle, and his ideology of an all-encompassing nation, I just had to take it. But I do hope I work on easier roles, in that sense.”
Of course, the experience has left Hooda with his share of learnings. Should he take on a film of this nature again, he would “work with more like-minded people who are considerate of the project’s quality, and my health”. “I absolutely could have died. I was in such a bad state. I [will] try to contractually bind people, if I’m going to attempt something like that.”
It comes at a cost
While other actors who have shed oodles of weight for their professional commitments have often underplayed the physical damages it has left them with, Hooda speaks of his scars without inhibition.
“I’ve been on anti-anxiety and sleeping pills for a while now, and want to wean myself off them. That was needed, because, at times, I was so hungry that I couldn’t sleep. Being hungry gives you a lot of energy; your mind wanders because you don’t have the hormones that aid you to sleep. Also, my body has changed. I have gained 20 kilos again, but my body lacks the [traditional definition] it had. I have to work on building that again with systematic training. My knee needs to be operated on because my ACL is completely [damaged]. In one year, I lost [strength in] both knees due to the lack of muscle mass.”
Hooda, an avid sportsperson who speaks of his love for riding as passionately as he does of his films, admits that taking a backseat from racing affected him. “Sports is a big part of my life, as it should be for everybody. In the last two years, I have not been on top of a horse too much. I’ve got new horses that were born to my mare. One of them is Hope. She’s big, white and beautiful, and I can’t wait to [take her on the track to race]. Some of the best moments of my life have been spent in a saddle.”
The fast mimicking diet entails
- Almond flour pancake
- MCT OIL 1 tbsp
- 1-2 tbsp almond butter
- 2-3 eggs
- 1-3 squares of dark chocolate
- Digestive fibre and multivitamins
It is generally performed in cycles of five days, and is followed by a one-day break where the practitioner can have a low-carb diet
2024's first quarter is decent; Shaitaan is the true bonafide hit in the first three months
8:43 AM
Box Office India Trade Network
The industry has seen a pretty decent first quarter as the exhibition sector fared the worst as the biggest film of the quarter FIGHTER did not live upto expectations. But its been a steady run post FIGHTER and some films have managed to make a mark.
There is an issue with very little content. There are just ten films which have gone over 10 crore nett which is hardly a number and they are below. These will be the films with some sort of awareness or face value that were released in the first quarter.
The classifications of those ten main films are as follows.
Merry Christmas (FLOP): A mystery thriller film with vey little for theatres and a film that would only do well in Mumbai city even if liked. These sort of filsms will be available in hundreds for audiences on television at home.
Fighter (AVERAGE): The film is the highest grosser of the year but could not fair well in mass circuits. Its not about the planes or anything but the landscape has changed in these areas and its about raw and rustic films driven by the storylines rather than Hollywood type of action. TIGER 3 also had a similar struggle and Hollywood films are finding it tough going in the Hindi circuits. FIGHTER had stars and music but the appeal remained limited and its a lot to do with how much these mass circuits have changed post pandemic. If we take the fact that it did not release in Gulf then, there was an outperformance overseas. However, the final number does not suggest that as its without Gulf.
Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Ulja Jiya (SEMI HIT): The film did very well for its genre driven by the music. The music was not blockbuster but the fact that it had music and it was good enough which is more than what most films have. The was pushed by the buy one get one offer but it does look that offers will not help if the audience is not with the. So, the benefit of the offer is probably very limited.
Article 370 (HIT): The first HIT of the year which proved a SUPER HIT in Mumbai circuit. The film did extremely well for its budget but it was a costly acquisition and with streaming likely to be in house it was about India theatrical for recovery. Nevertheless, the film actually pulled it of very well.
Crakk (DISASTER): The heavily budget action film for the face value but this sort of action content is just not relatable to the mass centres where it has to score.
Laapataa Ladies (FLOP): A ladies film looking by its name and which has trended well in its run holding well every week but it just could not find much of an audience. The trending of the film can be called respectable. However, that hardly matters when there are no overall numbers.
Shaitaan (HIT): The true bonafide HIT of the first quarter which did well all over. The film was a psychological/horror film but the family sentiments worked strongly for the film. The box office today is about reaching the mass and it's basically going back to the 80's. What happened here was when the big budgets were not there, the films catering to family sentiments emerged winners at the box office. Today, any genre will work as long as it has these family sentiments as this is where the reach will come from. SHAITAAN was devoid of music which is the other way to push the reach but still did the trick.
Yodha (FLOP): A urban action film on a hijacking and when a FIGHTER struggled for reach with the mass audiences, it was always going to be tough for this film. Action films made in Hindi for urban audiences have never done well although there maybe some exceptions but those will be very few if any.
Madgaon Express (FLOP): A Goa holiday/trip film which pretty much seals the fate in most of the country with the trailer itself. For some reason, the industry actually had hope for the film. The film did better in Mumbai circuit but even there, the numbers were still poor. Rest of the circuits were very dull.
Swatantrya Veer Savarkar (FLOP): A film on a Maharashtrian political figure which had no scope outside Maharashtra. The plus is that it will do around 15 crore nett in the state of Maharashtra which means some sort of acceptance here. But its a Hindi film and rest of India is extremely dull with practically no collections.
Crew (SEMI HIT/AVERAGE): The last release of the quarter which has done pretty well. The film has scored very well in North (NCR and East Punjab) and along with SHAITAAN is the only other film to do so. The film will have shortened run due to Eid which will hold back the numbers. It has had decent run nevertheless and is an out performer in Overseas.
Outside the organic Hindi movies, the dubbed SOUTH film HANUMAN proved to be a HIT while GODZILLA x KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE was also a HIT. The latter was just AVERAGE in Hindi circuits but the business in the South took it to HIT status.
(Crisp) Movie Review: SWATANTRYA VEER SAVARKAR by FENIL SETA
2:21 PM
Swatantrya Veer Savarkar attempts to show how the man played a major role in India’s freedom struggle and the extreme hardships he faced in the Cellular Jail. What could have been a brave and inspiring tale turns out to be a deeply problematic and even fictional one. It makes a mockery of certain heroes of the freedom struggle. Mahatma Gandhi is shown doing random, timepass stuff throughout the film. If an uninformed person sees the film, he or she’ll start to believe that Bapu’s contribution to India’s independence was zero. It’s interesting that writer-director Randeep Hooda showed their flaws but when you want to focus only on their minus points, then it’s not convincing. Moreover, depicting scenes like Bhagat Singh meeting Veer Savarkar, for which there’s no solid historical evidence, again shows that this film can’t be taken as a well-documented piece of work. Also, ‘Omitted history’ is mentioned in bold during the scene of the Bombay Naval Uprising of 1946. This attempt to show that certain incidents of history are kept hidden when the fact is that this chapter was very much taught in schools, is quite disturbing. Randeep Hooda the actor, however, breathes life into the role. Surely, his best work. Amit Sial (Ganesh Savarkar) leaves a huge mark. Rajesh Khera (Mahatma Gandhi) is heavily let down by the script. Ankita Lokhande is okay. The background score by Mathias Duplessy and Sandesh Shandilya also deserves special mention. But due to the content and most importantly intent, Swatantrya Veer Savarkar doesn’t deserve a watch.
My rating - * out of 5!
My rating - * out of 5!
Fenil's Bollywood Talk # 822
9:54 AM
WILL MOVIEGOERS HOP ON THE MADGAON EXPRESS?
The performance of the last Friday’s releases was a mixed bag. Yodha put up disappointing numbers, despite the makers providing a buy-one-get-one-ticket-free scheme on Saturday and Sunday. The first-week collections will be around Rs. 22-23 crores and the film hopefully would cross the Rs. 30 crore mark. Bastar - The Naxal Story, on the other hand, is a washout. The last film of this team, The Kerala Story, collected Rs. 6.75 crores on Day 1. Bastar - The Naxal Story, in its lifetime, will struggle to cross 50% of the first-day collections of The Kerala Story and that says it all. However, Kung Fu Panda 4, as predicted last week, collected Rs. 2.50 crores, which is more than the day 1 collection of Kung Fu Panda 3 (Rs. 2.10 crores). The first week collections are expected to be around Rs. 16 crores and it’s bound to have a long run in cinemas. The collections can cross the Rs. 30 crore mark or even the Rs. 35 crore mark.
This week, two diverse films will try their luck in cinemas. The biggest one is Madgaon Express. It marks the directorial debut of Kunal Kemmu and stars Pratik Gandhi, Divyenndu, Avinash Tiwary and Nora Fatehi. The comic caper’s trailer has been well-received and it promises to be a crazy, youthful entertainer. However, the film looks more of an urban flick and not a mass comedy like Dhamaal, Dhol etc. The songs also haven’t worked. The opening, hence, will be in the range of Rs. 1.50-2 crores. On the first day, viewers can get one ticket free on every ticket and this might boost the earnings. A good word of mouth can help the film earn well. The Holi holiday on Monday, March 25, will also benefit.
Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, meanwhile, will have paid previews from tonight, Thursday, March 21 and a full-fledged release from tomorrow. It is directed by Randeep Hooda and also features him in the role of the freedom fighter. The film got into controversy last year when Mahesh Manjrekar revealed that he was supposed to direct the film and he left the project due to interference by Randeep. The producers also got into a tiff with the actor. The issue was then resolved. Meanwhile, Veer Savarkar is a controversial figure and as a result, the trailer has received polarized reactions.
Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’s buzz is limited but it won’t have Bastar - The Naxal Story’s Rs. 35 lakhs type disaster collections on day 1. The number will be slightly more as a section of the audience will be curious to see the film. This target audience’s response is important if the film needs to have a good run in cinemas.
Swatantrya Veer Savarkar will also be released in Marathi.
The performance of the last Friday’s releases was a mixed bag. Yodha put up disappointing numbers, despite the makers providing a buy-one-get-one-ticket-free scheme on Saturday and Sunday. The first-week collections will be around Rs. 22-23 crores and the film hopefully would cross the Rs. 30 crore mark. Bastar - The Naxal Story, on the other hand, is a washout. The last film of this team, The Kerala Story, collected Rs. 6.75 crores on Day 1. Bastar - The Naxal Story, in its lifetime, will struggle to cross 50% of the first-day collections of The Kerala Story and that says it all. However, Kung Fu Panda 4, as predicted last week, collected Rs. 2.50 crores, which is more than the day 1 collection of Kung Fu Panda 3 (Rs. 2.10 crores). The first week collections are expected to be around Rs. 16 crores and it’s bound to have a long run in cinemas. The collections can cross the Rs. 30 crore mark or even the Rs. 35 crore mark.
This week, two diverse films will try their luck in cinemas. The biggest one is Madgaon Express. It marks the directorial debut of Kunal Kemmu and stars Pratik Gandhi, Divyenndu, Avinash Tiwary and Nora Fatehi. The comic caper’s trailer has been well-received and it promises to be a crazy, youthful entertainer. However, the film looks more of an urban flick and not a mass comedy like Dhamaal, Dhol etc. The songs also haven’t worked. The opening, hence, will be in the range of Rs. 1.50-2 crores. On the first day, viewers can get one ticket free on every ticket and this might boost the earnings. A good word of mouth can help the film earn well. The Holi holiday on Monday, March 25, will also benefit.
Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, meanwhile, will have paid previews from tonight, Thursday, March 21 and a full-fledged release from tomorrow. It is directed by Randeep Hooda and also features him in the role of the freedom fighter. The film got into controversy last year when Mahesh Manjrekar revealed that he was supposed to direct the film and he left the project due to interference by Randeep. The producers also got into a tiff with the actor. The issue was then resolved. Meanwhile, Veer Savarkar is a controversial figure and as a result, the trailer has received polarized reactions.
Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’s buzz is limited but it won’t have Bastar - The Naxal Story’s Rs. 35 lakhs type disaster collections on day 1. The number will be slightly more as a section of the audience will be curious to see the film. This target audience’s response is important if the film needs to have a good run in cinemas.
Swatantrya Veer Savarkar will also be released in Marathi.
Narayanrao was lynched after Gandhiji’s murder; 8,000 Brahmins were lynched in Maharashtra-Randeep Hooda
10:25 AM
Randeep Hooda plays Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in his directorial debut, and hopes the thriller will shed new light on the much-maligned nationalist
Aastha Atray Banan (MID-DAY; March 10, 2024)
If you thought Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi were antagonists, given that the former was accused of playing a part in the latter’s assassination plot, actor Randeep Hooda will tell you differently. “They had completely different ways of going about it, but their end goal was the same: Akhand Bharat,” he says.
“In fact, when Savarkar was in Kala Pani [Cellular Jail], it was Gandhiji who advised his brother, Narayanrao, about how to draft the bail plea.” It has been claimed that Savarkar swore allegiance to the British if he was released.
Hooda plays the controversial man in his directorial debut, Swatantra Veer Savarkar (due to release on March 22), and is now a veritable expert on his life, likes, dislikes, and ideologies. “But this movie is not a history lesson,” he laughs, “It’s supposed to be entertaining as well.”
The “anti-propaganda film”, as he calls it, is a retelling of Savarkar’s life. The intellectual-writer developed the nationalist political ideology Hindutva in Ratnagiri in 1922, and was a leading figure in the Hindu Mahasabha. He was also sentenced to two life-terms at Kala Pani (after he was found guilty of supplying the pistol used to assassinate the then collector of Nasik, AMT Jackson, in 1909) and composed 6,000 poems when incarcerated. His book, The Indian War of Independence, about the first war for freedom in 1857, was banned before it came out.
However, members of the Hindu Mahasabha turned against him when he distanced himself from Nathuram Godse and others accused of playing a part in Gandhi’s assassination plot during their trial. Though Godse had claimed full responsibility for the assassination, court approver Digambar Badge had said that Godse had a meeting with Savarkar before the assassination, where Savarkar told them all, “Yashasvi houn ya (be successful and return)”.
He was branded a traitor and coward, and though the Bharatiya Janata Party has tried to rebrand him as “Veer”, the nasty names continue to follow him around. We meet Hooda in Juhu, and he is in good spirits, wanting to delve deep into Savarkar’s psyche. Excerpts from an interview
What was your first introduction to Savarkar?
I think Kala Pani and Savarkar were synonymous for me when I was a child. When I started digging deep, I found there was so much missing from the public domain. I wondered why it has been swept under the carpet. My well-wishers told me, “Why are you getting into this? Why become political? You are an artiste”. I replied, “His story needs to be told, whatever it takes.” The kind of name-calling that happens in his name is unjustified. I just pursued the goal to correct that wrong with all sincerity. I ended up co-writing the film and directed it as well. It’s taken me two years of only thinking about Savarkar. I have put everything on the line—emotionally, monetarily, physically. And I’m so grateful people will know his special story.
What was the research involved?
I read books in English, Hindi; spoke to Maharashtrian filmmakers and historians who have written about him. I read about him and I read what he wrote. He is such a profound writer... People have just heard things through “WhatsApp university”, and keep calling him maafiveer (apologist). He was not that. He was just 26, and sentenced to serve two life terms. He went to Kala Pani in 1911 and the date of his release was 1960—he would have been 76! He used to keep writing bail pleas, but they were too flowery. Then Gandhiji asked him to keep it short, and that’s how he got out. Narayanrao was lynched after Gandhiji’s murder—8,000 Brahmins were lynched in Maharashtra. So much for non-violence. People don’t know about most of this.
He had a complicated relationship with Gandhi...
They had opposing ideologies, and both were very stubborn. They met three times—in 1907 at London’s India House; and once at a restaurant on Vijay Dashmi, and gave speeches together. Then in 1927, Gandhi visited him in Ratnagiri when he was placed under house arrest. They started at opposite ends, but met in the centre united by one purpose: A united India. But both of them were not part of the government, much like revolutionaries all over the world. Revolutionaries fight; politicians take control.
Was Savarkar less about religion, and more about nation?
Yes. Till 1920, everyone was one. In 1920, a caliphate movement started in Rae Bareli. Many Muslim leaders thought that India was a sultanate when the British came, and that it should go back to being a sultanate when they left. They didn’t want to be a part of the Congress’ democratic process, where they were a minority. To get them involved, Gandhiji became president of the Khilafat Movement, and there on began the process of appeasement. They were given more seats, and electorates.
This irked Savarkar. He came up with the Hindutva philosophy in response: he held that everyone who lived in the region between the Indus river to the sea, were Hindus. Whatever caste, religion, or community, as long as you love Hind, you are a Hindu. This angers people, but that’s a geographical definition. He said anybody who calls the land between the river and the sea the home of their ancestors, are Hindus.
Are the movie, and you, defending Savarkar?
I hope it does, but that’s not its purpose. I have made it as a thriller; it will enthrall you. It’s for young people. I have laid out the facts; I don’t call him veer, you will have to decide if he was one.
What did you learn the most by playing Savarkar?
Saam, Daam, Dand, Bhed (by any and all means)—that’s what he believed in. It’s what I have used to make this movie and get it released. One should do whatever it takes once one has decided the purpose of his life. And also, “Dushman ko kiye hue vaade nibhaaye nahin jaate”.
What do you want people to take away when they leave the halls?
That there is a bias in the telling of our history; documentation has been very one-sided. Also, you will get entertained and learn more about the freedom struggle than what’s available at first look.
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