Randeep Hooda believes that his intense love for his work has helped him overcome physical or psychological setbacks that he has experienced in life. After his battle with knee ailments for years in a row, which also caused film projects to be delayed, Randeep has persevered against all odds and is now prepared to return to Swatantra Veer Savarkar, his most ambitious project until now.
The actor recently opened up about the film before he headed to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to resume filming of the movie. He has also undergone significant weight loss in order to play the titular role of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. It's interesting to note that Randeep is also directing and producing for the first time and has decided to expand his role beyond that of an actor with this project.
Speaking about donning multiple roles for Swatantra Veer Savarkar, Randeep said, “I work better in isolation, but you can do that only as an actor or a writer, not as a director. It’s like I was an individual tennis player before, and then they put me in a soccer team and made me the captain, and now I must make all the players play tennis individually! Juggling the roles of a director, writer and producer is a great lesson in people management because acting is very individualistic".
Elaborating on the making and research for the film, he continued, “Savarkar is my first film as a director, writer and producer. I am being fearless about it. I didn’t know many things about Savarkar before I started researching him. Most books have dedicated only two paragraphs to the armed revolution, which was also a part of our freedom struggle. Through extensive research, we will show in the movie what their actual contribution was. I am making this movie also to connect with today’s youth.”
It took Randeep a few months to get back in action post the injury, but he added that he was in no mood to slow down. Recalling the incident, he added, “I was 22 kgs underweight for almost eight months while prepping for Savarkar, I weighed 68 kgs. Post the injury, I am now 71 kgs and I need to lose weight again as we restart the shoot as there must be continuity. With age, it all gets tougher for sure.”
Also Read: Randeep Hooda mourns passing away of ace director Pradeep Sarkar, “Was really looking forward to work & learn from you Dada”
