SwatantraVeer Savarkar first look: Randeep Hooda steps back in time

The first look of SwatantraVeer Savarkar (2023), starring Randeep Hooda, was launched on the 139th birth anniversary of revolutionary and Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.   

The tagline for the poster states, 'Hindutva Dharm Nahin, Itihaas Hai’. The biopic is expected to go on the floors in August 2022.

Producer Sandeep Singh shared his reasons for backing the feature and said, “His courageous fight for freedom, his fearless persona which scared the British, and his commitment to Hindutva till his last breath is heavily inspiring. He is the most misunderstood hero and it is high time that we understand him, and moreover celebrate this rebel.”

Speaking about the lead actor, producer Anand Pandit added, “Randeep has time and again showcased his skill set as an actor and moreover, shown that he can transform into the character he portrays. But in the case of Savarkar, there is an added dynamic because of his uncanny resemblance to the freedom fighter. I am a lover of history and excited to have the cinematic privilege to bring to 70 mm the story of a leader whose story must be told.”

Director Manjrekar said, "People may have different versions in their mind for Savarkar but as a filmmaker, I’m trying to match the same thought which Savarkar had. So, the character of Savarkar in the film will not be different from what Savarkar was in real life. He was an iconic freedom fighter and we'll ensure that he's never forgotten by any Indian.”

Finally, Hooda himself shared, “This is a salute to one of the tallest unsung heroes of India’s struggle for freedom and self-actualisation. I hope I can live up to the challenge of filling such big shoes of a revolutionary and tell his real story which had been brushed under the carpet for so long.”

SwatantraVeer Savarkar is presented by Anand Pandit Motion Pictures and Legend Studios and is produced by Anand Pandit, Sandeep Singh and Sam Khan, and co-produced by Roopa Pandit and Zafar Mehdi.

This is the second Hindi film on the historical figure after Veer Savarkar (2001), which went straight to DVD. Actor Shailendra Gaur played him in the film directed by Ved Rahi.