- Randeep Hooda lives the character of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar
- Swatantrya Veer Savarkar now plays at a theatre near you
Name: Swatantrya Veer Savarkar
Director: Randeep Hooda
Cast: Randeep Hooda,Ankita Lokhande
Rating: 4 / 5
Swatantrya Veer Savarkar is Randeep Hooda's interpretation of the life of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. Through the course of the film, we understand how different Savarkar's views about attaining freedom are, compared to that of other great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi.
Plot:
Swatantrya Veer Savarkar focuses on the life of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (Randeep Hooda) from the early 1900s, till his death, as interpreted by Randeep Hooda and the makers of the film. Savarkar is a top student in his university and starts showing signs of a reformer, very early on in his life. He creates ripples by his strong thoughts on 'Abhinav Bharat', after which he travels to the Great Britain to learn their law, where he also writes a book on India's revolt of 1857. Savarkar soon becomes one of the most powerful revolutionary forces among Indians across the globe, and consequently becomes the most wanted man for the Brits.
What works for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar:
Randeep Hooda. Randeep Hooda doesn't just work, he flies. He is insane to pull off a role like this. Words fall short in praise of him. It's a privilege to watch a piece of content made with this kind of passion. The story of Swatantrya Veer Savarkar is extremely gripping and keeps you on the edge, through its course of three hours. The screenplay is solid. The dialogues pack a solid punch; Few may convince you to stand up and clap. The camera work is excellent and the techniques used to make the movie, make the movie very immersive. The best parts of the movie for me were the conversations between Savarkar and Gandhi; Civil conversations of two individuals with very different views on India's fight for freedom.
What doesn't work for Swatantra Veer Savarkar:
There are phases where you feel the length of the film, especially in the first part of the second half when Savarkar is locked up in Kaala Paani. A trimming of about 15 to 20 minutes would do the movie good. Apart from this, Swatantrya Veer Savarkar is that kind of a passionate movie that you won't see made too often.
Watch the Swatantra Veer Savarkar Trailer
Performances in Swatantrya Veer Savarkar:
Randeep Hooda delivers a performance of a lifetime. It is arguably the best act by an Indian actor in recent times.
Ankita Lokhande has a short role but she does justice to it.
Amit Sial as Vinayak's brother is excellent.
Other supporting actors in the film lend able support.
Verdict of Swatantrya Veer Savarkar:
The life decisions of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar can have polarising views, but not the film, that can be classified as 'peak cinema'.
While one can't claim authenticity of everything shown in the film, this interpretation of Savarkar's life by Randeep Hooda and the team of Swatantrya Veer Savarkar makes for great, engaging cinema.
You can now watch the movie at a theatre near you.
