‘Swatantra Veer Savarkar’, the biopic on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, starred Randeep Hooda in the lead role, and also marked his directorial debut. The film was released on March 22, 2024, but failed to impress the audience. In fact, Randeep underwent a major physical transformation for the role and it almost cost him his life.
Speaking to Mid-Day, the actor drew parallels between how he lost weight for ‘Sarbjit’ (2016) and the recent film, and said, “This time around, I was underweight for one-and-a-half years. When the previous producers shelved the movie, I had lost all my muscle mass. I recall passing out and tumbling off [my] horse. My calf was bent at a right angle to my thigh, which makes me realise how weak I may have been... that’s what happens when you deprive yourself of food for a long time. I couldn’t even walk.”
Since the film was kicked off after the production delay, he had to 'quickly shed weight' since he was 92 kilo khata peeta (healthy) cop with a paunch’, and had to come down to 60 kg for ‘Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’.
Talking about the difficulties he faced during his weight loss journey, Randeep said, “I had to be losing [a] kilo a day for a certain number of days... It was very tough. I would often feel extremely weak, and would faint. It’s a terrible thing for an actor to go through. But, I believe, looking the part is something every actor should do. It should be the [very least] one does. I had planned things out, but they didn’t work out. So, the longer that [I had to adhere to the diet], the more frustrated I became. I had to suffer due to a lack of organisation, and had to do it twice over... I absolutely could have died. I was in such a bad state. I [will] try to contractually bind people, if I’m going to attempt something like that.”
In fact, Randeep’s massive weight loss picture went viral on social media, and fans were quick to compare him to Hollywood actor Christian Bale, who lost weight for his role in ‘The Machinist’ (2004).
However, Randeep now feels that he would not take up a project that needs him to undergo such a transformation. He mentioned that when he takes up a role like this, his parents make him promise that he won’t do it again. ‘Swatantra Veer Savarkar’ also features Ankita Lokhande and Amit Sial. It was released in theatres on March 22 in Hindi and Marathi.
