Randeep Hooda is an exceptionally gifted actor, who likes pushing the envelope only when he believes in the character he’s portraying. He showed his mettle in Sarbjit, based on the real story of an Indian who was tortured in a jail in Pakistan. Over the past two years, Randeep has been diligently going through various works, articles of Veer Savarkar or Vinayak Damodar Savarkar as he believes in his “ideology” and could empathise with his sufferings while undergoing inhumane prison sentence at Kala Pani (Cellular Jail).
Describing Savarkar with great fondness and familiarity, Randeep said, “Savarkar veer the. (Savarkar was brave). He wasn’t a coward. He was an intellectual giant who wrote thousands of poems on the walls of the British colonial jail. In fact, he used to wait for the jailer to whitewash his old poetries so that he could write new ones.”
While preparing for the role in Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, Randeep went through physical transformation. That meant living on a starvation diet. Little wonder, he broke his leg during the shooting. “My family doesn’t want me to take such risks again,” he said amidst loud guffaws from film buffs and mediapersons.
On a serious note, the actor, who was all over the social media when he recently tied the knot with Manipuri model Lin Laishram, admits that he went through an emotional transformation as well for this “anti-propaganda film”. He was so immersed in his character that other actors were afraid to even converse with him.
Mental preparation was another important aspect to give an authentic portrayal of the iconic character. “For me, it was important to understand Savarkar’s mindset, his essence and thought-process as I was not only the actor but also the writer and director.”
Close Ties With Lata Mangeshkar
Savarkar, who hailed from Maharashtra, had deep family connections with Mangeshkars. “Lataji’s (Lata Mangeshkar) father was a friend of Savarkar. Hridnath Mangeshkar, brother of Lataji, was removed from his job at AIR for translating one of Savarkar’s works,” said Randeep. Elaborating on the all-important Hindutva ideology, Randeep said the former meant that all those who live across the Sindhu river, those whose forefathers lived in this land, are Hindus. “Jo Hind Se Pyar kare woh Hindu hai. (One who loves Hind is a Hindu),” he added. Randeep completely took over the project when producer Sandeep Singh, of PM Narendra Modi fame, approached him with the film. While working on the film, Savarkar’s atma (spirit) was goading him to do more work. “That’s what I have been doing over the past two years. My intention was to portray his character realistically as a lot of nonsense has been circulated around him.”
Randeep is the “only actor” in the Hindi film industry who was bold enough to acquiesce to play the role due to the huge controversy created by historians under the Congress rule
Randeep, who got a rousing welcome when he turned up at PVR Plaza in Delhi for the launch of his film’s trailer, started off by asking a question to the media contingent and students. “Why hasn’t a film on Savarkar been made for so many years? I had to write, direct and essay his role. In the 1980’s Richard Attenborough made Gandhi, I acted in various films like the one on Sarbjit. Kuch shaktiya thi jo unke balidaan ko nahi batana chahti thi (Some forces did not want his sacrifice to be told).
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s high baritone voice resonated at the theatre as his famous poetry on Savarkar was part of the trailer. His poetry, ‘Savarkar Maane Tez, Savarkar Maane Tyag, Savarkar Maane Tap’- (Savarkar means speed, Savarkar means sacrifice and Savarkar means meditation!”
Pointing out that he wasn’t taught about Veer Savarkar or even his ordeal at Kala Pani in school as the curriculum did not include the stalwart’s extraordinary struggle to end the colonial rule in Bharat, the actor said history books only emphasised the role of two-three freedom fighters to show they had won Independence from the British. “This angered me. Why not Savarkar’s contribution towards Bharat’s freedom struggle highlighted in history books?”
To prepare for the role, Randeep, who hails from Rohtak in Haryana and studied in a prominent school in Delhi, went through a pile of books in Marathi with “great difficulty”. He also went through books in Hindi and English. “When I started preparation for the role, there was a lack of information on social media. Some books had devoted less material. Now, things are fast improving; one can now stumble upon a book on him while at the airport.”
He urges youth to go through Vikram Sampath’s biography on the freedom fighter. Last Nail on Britain’s Coffin Narrating a significant incident (Indian Naval Mutiny) that was never taught by Left-leaning historians, Randeep said, “In 1946, there was a bagawat (mutiny) at Bombay Dock, where there were 20,000 personnel. At that time, Britain PM Clement Attlee said, ‘Now they are an armed nation.’ There was a lurking threat emanating from Azad Hind Fauj. It was the last nail on the coffin of the British.”
Randeep is the “only actor” in the Hindi film industry who was bold enough to acquiesce to play the role due to the huge controversy created by historians under the Congress rule. “No actor would have played Savarkar as there’s so much controversy surrounding him,” said Sandeep Singh. Shot mostly in Maharashtra and Port Blair, the film also stars Ankita Lokhande and Apinderdeep Singh.
