Randeep Hooda on Swatantrya Veer Savarkar being called a propaganda film: 'Who sells their house and loses 32 kilos to make a film?'

Actor-filmmaker Randeep Hooda recently opened up about his reasons for making the 2024 film Swatantrya Veer Savarkar and how some well-wishers advised him against it. In an interview with The Indian Express, Randeep revealed that he wanted to tell the story of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, whom he believes has been misunderstood by many.
"He (Savarkar) was misunderstood. He was a profound thinker, which a lot of people didn’t get," Randeep shared.
Rethinking India’s freedom struggle
Randeep expressed his frustration over how India’s fight for independence has often been condensed to just a few names and the ideology of non-violence. “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,” he said.
His perspective on Savarkar and non-violence
As part of his preparation for the film, Randeep read Hindutva and was taken aback by its content. “I was shocked at what this man was 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 explained.
Facing opposition and backlash
Randeep revealed that many people had cautioned him against making a film on Savarkar. “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 was going to face a lot of opposition.”

He also expressed his disappointment about the timing of the film’s release, which coincided with elections. “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 kilos to make a film? I want to meet that patriot.”
Addressing the backlash, Randeep stated, “When I received criticism 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.”

What’s next for Randeep Hooda?
On the work front, Randeep Hooda is gearing up for the release of Jaat, which is set to hit theatres on April 10. He also has a Hollywood project, Matchbox, in the pipeline.