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EXCLUSIVE: Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’s Randeep Hooda says being starved as actor is ‘luxury’ but it’s a ‘curse’ as director
In his exclusive interview with Pinkvilla, Swatantrya Veer Savarkar actor Randeep Hooda delved into the contrasting experiences of being starved as an actor versus as a director.
Today marks the release of the historical drama film Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, featuring the acclaimed actor Randeep Hooda in the lead role. The movie offers a glimpse into the life of politician Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. Notably, Randeep Hooda not only portrays the titular character but also takes on the roles of director, co-writer, and co-producer for the film.
In an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla, Randeep discussed his physical transformation for the role and reflected on the challenges that came with wearing multiple hats in the filmmaking process. He also described the contrasting experiences of being starved as an actor versus as a director.
Randeep Hooda on experience as both an actor and a director on Swatantrya Veer Savarkar
In an exclusive conversation with Pinkvilla, Randeep Hooda was asked about the physical, emotional and mental preparation that he did for the role. The actor described it as a “rollercoaster ride” in response.
Randeep stated, “All scripts that I've ever done as an actor, I know them inside out, sometimes more than other people, and I’m always on the ball and I usually follow the screenplay, and of course there are basic characteristics to every human being that you play and then you make that into a larger thing. In this case, I paid the least amount of attention to myself while acting. I was always paying attention to the cinematography, to other characters, to the scene work and all that. Oftentimes I used to forget to take my own shot."
Sharing his experience on set, Randeep revealed feeling “restless” and frequently engaging in conflicts with his hair and makeup team due to his eagerness to get to the set promptly. He said, “In that sense it was a frenzy full thing.”
Drawing a comparison between the roles of actor and director, Randeep highlighted, “Being starving and underweight as an actor is a luxury, being starving and underweight as a director is a curse. Because you lose patience, you don't have patience and you’re hungry. People are having lunch breaks, evening nashta breaks, that break and you're just a person sitting there hungry. When you're hungry you have more energy. So that was a very big thing which I think everybody suffered from me as a hangry person on set."
Watch the full interview here:
Randeep disclosed, “I had lost about 30 to 32 kilos by the end of it.”
Discussing the challenges of juggling multiple roles, he elaborated, “It was very very challenging. One thing that happens to every human being is that they lose patience when they're starving. That’s the first thing that happens and you get too much energy and you say something even softly but it comes across (differently).”
He continued, “My co-writing, I did with Utkarsh Naithani who’s a wonderful writer. The main screenplay we wrote in 3 nights and then of course you keep improving it. We fought like cats and dogs but we did it.”
Randeep further added, “I had to step in as a producer to make sure that the movie gets its legs and quality that is required and the kind of effort that has gone into it.”
In addition to Randeep Hooda, Swatantrya Veer Savarkar features talented actors such as Ankita Lokhande, Amit Sial, Rajesh Khera, and others. The film is currently being showcased in cinemas.
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