Randeep Hooda’s well-wishers advised him against making Swatantrya Veer Savarkar: ‘I was just flabbergasted…’ | Bollywood News

Actor Randeep Hooda and filmmaker Hansal Mehta attended the sixth edition of The Indian Express’ series Expresso held in New Delhi on Friday. During the session, Randeep spoke about his reasons for making the 2024 film Swatantrya Veer Savarkar and revealed that some well-wishers had advised him against it.
The actor-filmmaker said with Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, he wanted to explore the life of freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who is ‘misunderstood’ the world. He said, “He (Savarkar) was misunderstood. He was a profound thinker, which a lot of people didn’t get.”
Randeep added, “I was angry about the fact that all of our freedom struggle was brought down to two-three names, and non-violence, which was not the case. What it has done to the world is given a very weak image of India, which we are not. They should know that we can break someone’s face if they slap our cheeks.”
Story continues below this ad

Also Read | Swatantrya Veer Savarkar movie review: Randeep Hooda is propulsive in a reductive, one-sided narrative
Randeep revealed as a part of his preparation for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, he read the book Hindutva. “I was shocked that what is this man is saying. Mr Savarkar too liked non-violence, but he knew that the world is not all nice, but also filled with killers. He thought where is self-defense in non-violence. This is why I took it upon myself to tell his story. I got a lot of appreciation for this,” he said.
During the conversation, Randeep Hooda also shared that some well-wishers had advised him against making Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.
Expresso with Hansal Mehta and Randeep Hooda
Also Read | Hansal Mehta opens up about Shiv Sena attack on him 25 years ago; says he found solace in liquor after the public humiliation: ‘I was very broken’Story continues below this ad
Randeep said, “A lot of people told me to not get involved in this kind of subject, which urged me more to read about him. And, when I took it on, I somewhere knew it is going to have a lot of opposition to it. And it so happened that it released during the elections while I wanted it to release about six months before that. Because it released in elections, it was tainted as a propaganda film. I was just flabbergasted, thinking who sells their house and loses 32 kilo to make a film. I want to meet that patriot.”
He added, “When I received backlash for it, I told people that if I had made a movie about Mr Nehru, I would have been as sincere as possible and would have put the same kind of efforts.”
On the work front, Randeep Hooda is currently gearing up for the release of Jaat, which will hit screens on April 10. He also has Hollywood film Matchbox in the pipeline.