Swatantrya Veer Savarkar Review - Know The Violent Veer Savarkar As The Silent Hero Like Never Before

Swatantyra Veer Savarkar Review: Randeep Hooda plays the lead role and also turns director for the first time, all thanks to the courtesy of Swatantyra Veer Savarkar. Let me ask you a question: Did you ever think about Savarkar as the only freedom fighter who has been through almost every major event and characters from India's fight for independence? From Shyam Sharma, Bhikaji Cama, Madanlal Dhingra, Anant Kahhere, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bhagat Singh, Chandrshekhar Azad, Mohandas Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Md. Jinnah, Subhash Chandra Bose, Rasbihari Bose, and Nathuram Godse to Sardar Patel, Savarkar has had encounters with them all. So, I can say that he was, perhaps, the only freedom fighter who can be called the common link between all the stages of freedom fights that our nation has seen during the British reign.Veer Savarkar was some different and unshakeable element, but sadly, he has been portrayed as a traitor or an apologetic rebel sometimes. Hooda's film gives you a chance to know that GREAT VEER SAVKARAR, who deserves to be known and hailed for his sacrifices and political statements. As Gandhiji once said, an intelligent political leader Savarkar could change the fate of a provisional government (if established). Savarkar decided otherwise, and that's why his face is not printed on Indian currency. Agree or not, but his revolutionary thoughts have remained unbeaten to date, and there is hardly any chance of surpassing his ideologies if you believe in HINDUTVA. A big thanks to Randeep Hooda and team Swatantyra Veer Savarkar for bringing Savarkar's unfiltered life to celluloid without any compromises.The film takes you through his life from the late 19th century to his death in the 1960s. From a child who lost his father in the Indian revolution to becoming one of the most fearless freedom fighters, an inspiration to many, a lawyer, to getting a double life sentence and then imprisonment outside jail too, the film is a detailed take on Savarkar's life and every event he went through. It also focuses on his violent ideologies, political differences with Gandhi, Nehru, and the Congress, and his brutal statements against the most powerful party in the nation. Right from Abhinav Bharat, Bomb Manuals, inspiring the legendary Bhagat Singh, guiding Mr. Bose towards Azad Hind Sena, to his most powerful words ever, "AKHAND BHARAT"— you get to see all the details in this film, just like a book. It misses one big thing, though. The APOLOGY.The film has some issues with its pacing, too. The other major failure is showing one political side in the dark, or, let's say, as a villain. What's that word they use nowadays, propaganda? Yeah, that's right. But wait, let Savarkar hear that, and he will tear you into pieces. That's how brutal he was and has always been. In his language, I'd say, "Some people's propaganda is some people's reality." Let's leave that judgement to each on his own. Let everyone decide which side they want to stand with. On the negative side, the film suffers from a slow pace in the first half. It starts boring you. That's until you buckle up for the second half, which again starts on a slow note, as those Kaala Paani scenes are too leisurely and lukewarm. But after a while, you start feeling the pain—the conflict Savarkar has been fighting within him as a human, a patriot, and an intelligent writer. This is where the film starts gripping you, and after that, there are no moments to miss at all. The second half turns out surprisingly good and surpasses expectations with its brilliant accuracy—from Savarkar's point of view, of course.Randeep Hooda's dedication, transformation, and characterization as Vinayak Damodar Savarkar will leave you in awe. The physical transformation is awesome anyway, but how well has he excelled with the accent and bearing! Truly astonishing!!! You will notice his detailing in his work with all those small things that he has intentionally exposed in front of the camera. Showing teeth in a broken mirror, distant vision without his glasses, wearing that cap in front of the mirror, the right-hand side view of his face when he comes out of Ratnagiri jail, some shadow images, and all that. He, as a director, visualised himself as an actor, and that, my friends, is one of the sweetest mixtures in the filmmaking world. Although the entire focus is on him, the supporting cast has also done good/decent as per demand. Ankita Lokhande is pretty okay as Yamunabai, but the screentime is too low. Amit Sial shines as Ganesh Savarkar. Rajesh Khera looks like a complete misfit for Gandhi's role at first, but after a while, he somehow fits well in the template. Lokesh Mittal as B. R. Ambedkar, Brajesh Jha as Subhash Chandra Bose, and the rest of the supporting cast are highly appreciated.The film is loaded with all those patriotic and powerful quotes by Veer Savarkar. From defining a Hindu by nationalism and religion to evoking patriotism and radicalism through his on-point statement, you won't miss any of Savarkar's trademarks here. In one scene, he makes a British officer realise that they are in the wrong, and that too in just one meeting. In another scene, you see him speaking to a British officer about how Germany is occupying England and why it's the same as the British occupying India. The same man later became famous for speaking about Akhanda Bharat and "We are all Indians first." And of course, how can a film on Savarkar go without "Every person is a Hindu who regards and owns this Bharat Bhumi"? That's there too, and damn loud. Those Savarkar vs. Gandhi and Congress debates are there too.Swatantyra Veer Savarkar is weak in some technical parts, such as the background score and editing. You don't need melodramatic background music for every dramatic scene in 2024, and you can't really make a 3-hour biopic with such a flawed first half. The production value was somewhat okay, and the art design and sets looked quite decent. As you know, actor Randeep Hooda is the hero of the movie, but let me tell you what you don't know. The director Randeep Hooda is the second hero of the film. I can't imagine any actor making his directorial debut with such a challenging film so smoothly. Yes, the film lacks a few things here and there, but that's the case with almost every director in Bollywood, including experienced ones. Considering that, Hooda has done a brilliant job. Call it a propaganda movie, an anti-congress movie, or anything you want to call it, but Randeep has brought the great Veer Savarkar on screen like never before—both as a director and as an actor. This film will be your cinematic memory of Savarkar's life if you are interested in learning about this legendary freedom fighter and radical leader. If you are not, you belong to an elite category of ungrateful creators in Motherland India. You must watch it to know the violent hero Veer Savarkar as the silent hero, the dark knight, in the most evident manners possible in such a low budget.