Actor Randeep Hooda recalled the challenges he faced while directing the film ‘Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’, which he shot in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Speaking to ANI, Randeep shared that he had to reshoot one of the important scenes in the film at Ross Island because he forgot to wear glasses.
He shared, “I shot the entry of Kala Pani here. Because the place from where entry used to happen earlier is not there anymore. It looked cinematic. So I took wide shots from above. We didn’t have much time to enjoy when we were shooting.”
Hooda added, “So, on this pier, I showed the entry of Vinayak Sawarkar and I think it gave a very good tone to the movie. I wanted to set up the movie in the rhythm of Kala Paani, which should have a dark and almost horror-like feel. And when I was shooting here, we were going back after shooting on the way in the car. Then I realized that I didn’t wear glasses. The whole unit returned, wore my glasses and took the shot again. The image of Savarkar ji is incomplete without the glasses…We shot for 15 days in overall Andaman.”
‘Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’ is a cinematic portrayal of one of India’s most influential and controversial figures during the Indian Independence struggle, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, revered as Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.
Directed by actor Randeep Hooda, who also plays the role of Savarkar, the film also stars Ankita Lokhande and Amit Sial. It was released on March 22.
The ace actor underwent a drastic physical transformation and lost almost 32kg to look like revolutionary leader Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, also referred to as Veer Savarkar. It was tough for him to starve and act but more challenging as a director to stay hungry for long hours and manage everything.
He said earlier, “As an actor you are lost in yourself and you have to do only that much work. But as a director, you have to take care of everything. The camera, the writing, the props, everything. So you’re always interacting and busy. When you’re hungry and starving, you get irritated. So that happened a lot with me in this film.”
“To mai dubara direction bhukhe pet to nahi karunga,” he said.
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was born on May 28, 1883, in Bhagur.
In 1911, Savarkar was sentenced to 50 years in the cellular jail of Andamans, also known as Kala Pani for revolting against the Morley-Minto reforms (Indian Councils Act 1909). After several mercy petitions that he would not participate in politics, he was released in 1924.
To mark the 141st birth anniversary of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Hooda visited the Cellular Jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where Savarkar was sentenced to life terms of imprisonment totaling fifty years.
Playing a historical figure on-screen comes with various challenges. For Hooda it was same and he got injured as well on the sets of the film. As he mentioned, “We all got injured and we were hurt several times by the hunter. Many of my co-stars got hurt on the sets of the film. But I was occupied with my work all the time.”
Regarded as one of the most influential freedom fighters, Savarkar was not only a lawyer but also an activist, writer, and politician. He gained prominence for his book “Hindutva: Who is a Hindu?”, among several others authored by him.
‘Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’ is streaming on ZEE5.-ANI