Swatantra Veer Savarkar Movie Review: It was in 9th grade that I first heard of freedom fighter and reformer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. Growing up in Chennai, I spent most of my years learning about freedom fighters and revolutionaries from the South regions. When my history book first mentioned VD Savarkar, it was a fascinating classroom setup for his ideologies differed from most freedom fighters I had read about until then, especially Mahatma Gandhi. So, when Randeep Hooda launched the Swatantra Veer Savarkar trailer, it immediately had my attention. But I was also vary about the film being true to history.
Released in cinemas on March 22, Swatantra Veer Savarkar lays out the life of VD Savarkar. Randeep Hooda not only stars as Savarkar in the film but he also made his directorial debut with the film. The film shows almost every aspect of his life. The film starts with a young Savarkar and his family witnessing their father’s death. Soon, he grows up and decides that he wants to be a freedom fighter and to make his fight strong, he wants to travel to London and learn British law. His first stop on the journey is Pune, where he gets admission into Fergusson College. Before he entered the campus, he established the Abhinav Bharat Society and set the ball rolling for the freedom movement.
While his friends and fellow freedom fighters spread the word and motive of Abhinav Bharat Society across the country, Savarkar is focused on motivating his fellow students at his college to become a part of his freedom movement. During his stay in Pune, he meets radical Nationalist leader, Lokmanya Tilak, who takes him under his wing and even helps him fulfill his dream of studying in London. Once he lands on British grounds, the film goes on to show how his fight for India’s freedom takes surprising turns, with him even getting arrested.
The film highlights the major life-turning moments of Savarkar’s life. These include his interaction with Mahatma Gandhi, his failed attempt at staging an escape plan to find asylum in France, his life imprisonment in the Andaman islands aka Kaala Paani, his reformation at the jail, his move from the Andaman jail to Ratnagiri jail, and his freedom thereafter. The film also sheds light on his life after he was granted freedom from jail and his political career.
A lot to cover no? That’s exactly what I felt by the end of the three-hour film. Swatantra Veer Savarkar feels like an elaborate history class on a boring, summer school day. The film tracks down the events that shaped his life in a straightforward timeline, which helps the viewers understand what is happening. While it helps to keep track of the historic events, it gets tiring after a point. I began to feel the information overload when the film switched gears from his release from Ratnagiri jail to exploring his political career. I feel the film could have been a two-part film and released on OTT because it is a lot to take in non-stop. The film’s length affects its impact.
Swatantra Veer Savarkar has its highs and lows. Let’s begin with its highs. The film, for me, was an interesting watch in most parts. The film mostly stays true to his story until the Kaala Paani sentence and even a little after that. However, when the political career bit starts to shape, Randeep Hooda takes creative liberty and shows scenes that might have not panned out in real life. The film features a scene in which Bhagat Singh meets Savarkar, an incident that isn’t backed with historical evidence. It also hints at the narrative that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was inspired by Savarkar and sought his guidance while making a crucial political move. There is no evidence of this either and to top it off, last year, Netaji’s grandnephew Chandra Kumar Bose himself clarified that this was untrue. Given that it is a biopic, the film fails to stay true to history and it is heartbreaking.
Credit where it is due, Randeep Hooda has shouldered the film with ease. He proves that his performances in films like Sarabjit and Highway were not just flukes. Randeep gets under the skin and bones of the freedom fighter. You are spellbound with the conviction of his performance.
While Randeep was a treat for the eyes as an actor, he needs to polish his directorial skills. In an attempt to pack everything about the freedom fighter’s life, Randeep loses track in the second half of the film. As a result, several scenes were high on dialogues and performance but lacked depth.
Something that truly took me by surprise was the portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in the film. Given Sarvarkar and Gandhi’s differences in political opinions, it was expected that we would get to see a different shade of Gandhi. However, to my absolute shock, Swatantra Veer Savarkar paints a grey picture of Gandhi. Given that you see him from Sarvarkar’s point of view, Gandhi has a heavy tint of negativity to his character in the film. This is probably the first time I have seen where Gandhi is shown in such a way. What a bold move.
Coming to the performances, while we’ve already discussed Randeep’s performance, the supporting actors were good as well. Amit Sial as Ganesh Damodar Savarkar held the screen every time he walked into the frame. British actor Russell Geoffrey Banks also gets you shifting in your seat with his portrayal of the horrendous David Barry. However, it was sad to see Ankita Lokhande wasted in the film. Playing the role of Yamunabai Savarkar, VD Savarkar’s wife, Ankita did not have many dialogues. She also did not have many scenes to truly make her presence felt.
In a sea of patriotic films that Bollywood has been releasing in recent years, Swatantra Veer Savarkar is among the better ones. The production value of the film and the performances keep you seated through the three-hour watch. I wish it was edited well, for there were a few scenes that could have been done away with. This would have given the film a lasting impact.