Producer Anand Pandit is currently enjoying the response that he has been receiving for his recent project Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. In an exclusive chat with The Pioneer, he discusses some interesting tidbits about the film, working with Randeep Hooda, and more.
Tejal Sinha
Randeep Hooda is currently basking on the success of his recent film, Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, a historical biographical film, based on the life of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. Not only has the adroit actor played the titular role, but it also marked his directorial debut, and has also co-written, and co-produced the film.
Now that the film has been opened to critical acclaim, The Pioneer interacts with the producer Anand Pandit, who has been pretty satisfied with the responses the film has been receiving. Swatantrya Veer Savarkar has sparked discussion across the country since its announcement. Following its release, “We are pleased with the positive reception the movie has garnered. It is an anti-propaganda film in every sense, as we aimed to do justice to the real-life contributions of Savarkar in India’s freedom struggle. Certain political parties have consistently attempted to tarnish the image of this freedom fighter.”
They aimed to present a clearer picture of Savarkar’s legacy and his contributions to the country by showcasing the accurate side of history, thereby enlightening the younger generation about the truth. Right from his childhood, he recalled during his school days in Gujarat, “I read a lot about Savarkar. Through my learning, I realised that he is one of those unsung heroes who never received justice from our historians. Later, I decided that I wanted to make a film based on his real life. It wasn’t the commercial aspects that drove my desire to make the film, but rather my conviction that I should showcase the real Savarkar to today’s youth.”
As we went ahead with the chat, he revealed that there were no such apprehensions of whether the film would see the light of the day or not. “Savarkar faced a lot of issues in his life and encountered numerous obstacles. Considering the hardships he endured, ours were only minor concerns, which we successfully overcame. We are happy that the film was released on a grand scale as per our plans,” shared the Drishyam 2 producer, who was all praises for Randeep Hooda as he further added, “Randeep, as we know, is one of the finest actors in our industry. He possesses immense talent to breathe life into whichever character he portrays. Being an excellent method actor, he easily immerses himself in the character and gives his one hundred percent for the totality of his role. So, without Randeep, I could not even imagine making this film. When Randeep approached me with this proposal, I knew that this was the right opportunity for me to realise the dream of making a movie based on Savarkar.”
Political films have undeniably been a big challenge in India, with a high chance of facing resistance from individuals who do not subscribe to the particular theory or ideology depicted in the movie. Seconding to this, he also shared, “Opponents may try to create roadblocks, and certain sections of the bureaucracy with vested interests may also oppose the film. Naturally, filmmakers will encounter various troubles and obstacles throughout the process. I believe there was a lobby working against him, which resulted in some of his major contributions to the country going unnoticed. We have also seen that certain sections of society have always deviated from the truth and tend to believe only what aligns with their political outlook. That is why many real and inspiring figures were neglected in our history books.”
The makers, he says, tried their best to stay true to history. Extensive research was conducted for the film. “The team referred to hundreds of books that depicted the true side of India’s struggle for independence. They also interacted with Savarkarji’s family and acquaintances. Randeep also visited the Andaman jail and engaged with individuals there to gather insights into Savarkar’s life during his time in jail. Hence, it is not a fictionalised version at all.”
During the initial interaction with Randeep regarding this project, they reached a consensus that the film on Veer Savarkar should portray the freedom struggle in its full glory. Through this film, the Doctor G producer drew a bead on today’s generation to feel the essence of that period, the sacrifices made, and the greatness of unsung heroes like Savarkar, who bravely fought against the British to realise the dream of freedom for the country.
As we head towards the end of the chat, the producer, who has some ambitious projects lined up for the next two years, not only in Hindi but also in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, and Marathi, and also planning to foray into Punjabi movies, he signs off saying, “The primary objective of the project was not to make money but to ensure that a large number of people understood the life of Veer Savarkar, a great leader who devoted his entire life to this nation and the Indepen-dence movement. Though we appreciate the warm welcome that people are giving the movie in theatres, the core aim was to enlighten the young generation about the strong values that Savarkar upheld in his life.”
Randeep Hooda is currently basking on the success of his recent film, Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, a historical biographical film, based on the life of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. Not only has the adroit actor played the titular role, but it also marked his directorial debut, and has also co-written, and co-produced the film.
Now that the film has been opened to critical acclaim, The Pioneer interacts with the producer Anand Pandit, who has been pretty satisfied with the responses the film has been receiving. Swatantrya Veer Savarkar has sparked discussion across the country since its announcement. Following its release, “We are pleased with the positive reception the movie has garnered. It is an anti-propaganda film in every sense, as we aimed to do justice to the real-life contributions of Savarkar in India’s freedom struggle. Certain political parties have consistently attempted to tarnish the image of this freedom fighter.”
They aimed to present a clearer picture of Savarkar’s legacy and his contributions to the country by showcasing the accurate side of history, thereby enlightening the younger generation about the truth. Right from his childhood, he recalled during his school days in Gujarat, “I read a lot about Savarkar. Through my learning, I realised that he is one of those unsung heroes who never received justice from our historians. Later, I decided that I wanted to make a film based on his real life. It wasn’t the commercial aspects that drove my desire to make the film, but rather my conviction that I should showcase the real Savarkar to today’s youth.”
As we went ahead with the chat, he revealed that there were no such apprehensions of whether the film would see the light of the day or not. “Savarkar faced a lot of issues in his life and encountered numerous obstacles. Considering the hardships he endured, ours were only minor concerns, which we successfully overcame. We are happy that the film was released on a grand scale as per our plans,” shared the Drishyam 2 producer, who was all praises for Randeep Hooda as he further added, “Randeep, as we know, is one of the finest actors in our industry. He possesses immense talent to breathe life into whichever character he portrays. Being an excellent method actor, he easily immerses himself in the character and gives his one hundred percent for the totality of his role. So, without Randeep, I could not even imagine making this film. When Randeep approached me with this proposal, I knew that this was the right opportunity for me to realise the dream of making a movie based on Savarkar.”
Political films have undeniably been a big challenge in India, with a high chance of facing resistance from individuals who do not subscribe to the particular theory or ideology depicted in the movie. Seconding to this, he also shared, “Opponents may try to create roadblocks, and certain sections of the bureaucracy with vested interests may also oppose the film. Naturally, filmmakers will encounter various troubles and obstacles throughout the process. I believe there was a lobby working against him, which resulted in some of his major contributions to the country going unnoticed. We have also seen that certain sections of society have always deviated from the truth and tend to believe only what aligns with their political outlook. That is why many real and inspiring figures were neglected in our history books.”
The makers, he says, tried their best to stay true to history. Extensive research was conducted for the film. “The team referred to hundreds of books that depicted the true side of India’s struggle for independence. They also interacted with Savarkarji’s family and acquaintances. Randeep also visited the Andaman jail and engaged with individuals there to gather insights into Savarkar’s life during his time in jail. Hence, it is not a fictionalised version at all.”
During the initial interaction with Randeep regarding this project, they reached a consensus that the film on Veer Savarkar should portray the freedom struggle in its full glory. Through this film, the Doctor G producer drew a bead on today’s generation to feel the essence of that period, the sacrifices made, and the greatness of unsung heroes like Savarkar, who bravely fought against the British to realise the dream of freedom for the country.
As we head towards the end of the chat, the producer, who has some ambitious projects lined up for the next two years, not only in Hindi but also in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, and Marathi, and also planning to foray into Punjabi movies, he signs off saying, “The primary objective of the project was not to make money but to ensure that a large number of people understood the life of Veer Savarkar, a great leader who devoted his entire life to this nation and the Indepen-dence movement. Though we appreciate the warm welcome that people are giving the movie in theatres, the core aim was to enlighten the young generation about the strong values that Savarkar upheld in his life.”
