Swatantrya Veer Savarkar (film)

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Savarkar
Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Randeep Hooda
Written by Randeep Hooda
Utkarsh Naithani
Produced by
Starring Randeep Hooda
Ankita Lokhande
Amit Sial
Cinematography Arvind Krishna
Edited byKamesh Karna
Rajesh G. Pandey
Music bySongs:
Anu Malik
Vipin Patwa
Sambata
Score:
Mathias Duplessy
Sandesh Shandilya
Production
companies
  • Randeep Hooda Films
  • Legend Studios
  • Avak Films
  • Anand Pandit Motion Pictures
Distributed by Zee Studios
Release date
  • 22 March 2024 (2024-03-22)
Running time
178 minutes [1]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹20 crore [2]
Box office₹31.23 crore [3]

Swatantrya Veer Savarkar is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language film on the life of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. It is directed, co-written, and co-produced by Randeep Hooda, who also plays the titular role of Savarkar. [4] [5] It was released in theatres on 22 March 2024. [6] [7]

Contents

The film presents a detailed biographical sketch of Savarkar from his childhood, including the key events from his life, often in a near-worshipful tone towards its central character. [8] [9] The film has been criticised for distorting history and for promoting one-sided agenda [10] [8] [9] [11] but received praises for its actors' performances. [12] [13]

Plot

The film narrates the life of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, beginning with the backdrop of the Bubonic plague of 1897, which claims his father's life. Angered by injustices, Vinayak becomes a revolutionary, inspired by figures like Shivaji Maharaj and Mazzini. He founds the secret society Abhinav Bharat Society and later joins Indian revolutionaries in London at the India House. Vinayak completes his thesis on the 1857 War of Independence, and secretly dispatches weapons to India. He meets Mahatma Gandhi but finds their approaches different. As India witnesses various revolutionary acts, the Savarkar brothers—Vinayak and Ganesh Damodar Savarkar —are arrested, and imprisonend in the infamous Kalapani in Andaman.

In prison, the Savarkar brothers face brutal treatment, including solitary confinement and physical abuse. Despite hardships, Vinayak continues his struggle, advocating for better conditions for political prisoners. After years of imprisonment, Vinayak is released but faces restrictions. He coins the term Hindutva and continues his activism, challenging casteism and advocating for a united India. He refuses to support Gandhi's Quit India Movement. Fearing partition, and urges Hindus to prepare for military defence. As India moves towards independence, the film delves on the partition, the Naval Mutiny, and Gandhi's assassination. The movie ends in 1950 with Savarkar being put into jail due to fear of a bomb blast in Pakistani Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan’s motorcade during his visit in India.

Cast

Production

Randeep Hooda took over directing the film from Mahesh Manjrekar, who quit the project citing differences with Randeep over the script and inclusion of irrelevant historical figures and events. [14] [15]

Music

Swatantrya Veer Savarkar
Soundtrack album by
Anu Malik, Vipin Patwa and Sambata
Released14 March 2024
Recorded2022
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Length21:02
LanguageHindi
Label Zee Music Company
Official audio
Swatantrya Veer Savarkar- Full Album on YouTube

The music of the film is composed by Anu Malik, Vipin Patwa and Sambata while the background score is composed by Mathias Duplessy and Sandesh Shandilya.

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicSinger(s)Length
1."Dharti Ka Abhimaan"Traditional Anu Malik Divya Kumar, Vijay Prakash 3:44
2."Dariya O Dariya"Prashant Ingole Anu Malik Raj Barman4:33
3."The Savarkar Rage"SambataSambataSambata2:10
4."Vande Mataram"Dr. Sagar Vipin Patwa Vipin Patwa 2:53
5."Dharti Ka Abhimaan" (Extended Version)Traditional Anu Malik Divya Kumar, Vijay Prakash 7:42
Total length:21:02

Release

Theatrical release

The film was theatrically released on 22 March 2024 in Hindi, along with Marathi dubbed version. [16] [17]

Home video

The home video rights were retained by ZEE Entertainment for their own streaming platform ZEE5. The film was premiered on ZEE5 from 28 May 2024 to mark the 141st birthday of Veer Savarkar. [18]

Marketing

Little Chanakya and Swatantra Veer Savarkar, a comic book tie-in was released along with the film by Diamond Comics. The comic character Little Chanakya discusses Savarkar's life story covering his participation in the Indian independence movement, imprisonment in Kalapani, social activism, opposition to the partition of India and role in the Goa liberation movement. [19]

Reception

Box office

The movie earned ₹11.37 nett crore in India its first week. [3] In second week, the movie earned ₹6.34 nett crore. [20] As of 14 April 2024, the film has a worldwide gross of ₹31.23 crore. [3]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 14% of 7 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4/10. [21] The film got mixed response from critics. While some praised the film and Randeep Hooda's performances, others called it hagiographic.

The Times of India called it, "A polarising but powerful biopic that vindicates Savarkar," and rated it 3.5 out of 5. [22] Rishil Jogani of Pinkvilla rated the film 4/5 and opined that "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." [12] Filmfare rated it 3 out 5 and stated, "Swatantrya Veer Savarkar movie review: Randeep Hooda packs an impeccable punch in this hard-hitting & eye-opening biographical drama." [23]

Dishya Sharma of News 18 rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "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." [13] Firstpost in its review comments, "Randeep Hooda goes into the detailing of the story and makes sure to showcase the tiniest events of Savarkar’s life." It went on to rate the film 3 out of 5. [24]

On the other side of the line, Catherine Bray of The Guardian gave the film 2 out of 5 stars and stated, "It all adds up to a funny mixture of hagiography and limp film-making, albeit built around a fine central performance." [25]

Anuj Kumar of The Hindu wrote "The film attempts to uplift Savarkar in the popular imagination by vilifying Gandhi through a stylistically mounted and carefully crafted narrative". [26] In the review for The Indian Express , Shubhra Gupta gave a rating of 2/5 and described the movie as "stridently one-sided, and, ultimately, reductive". [8]

Rohit Bhatnagar of Free Press Journal gave a rating of 2.5/5 and wrote "Randeep’s film is a slow burner and it drains you with facts and figures but it is a well-intended project that might strictly excite and appeal history lovers." The review finds the movie to be "bothersome" and to have distorted historical realities. [27] Sana Farzeen of India Today rated 2 out of 5 stars and added that "Swatantrya Veer Savarkar turned out to be a shallow attempt. It can be only passed off as a very long, often one-sided history lesson on the 'neglected' freedom fighter." [11]

Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times writes in her review that the film "ends up being a one-sided narrative that's not bothered about presenting a balanced outlook about the contributions made towards India's struggle for freedom. [9] Prateek Sur of the Outlook gave 2.5/5 stars and stated that, "‘Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’ is a wasted effort to be honest. The performances of the other characters could have been lifted and given much more weightage than it currently got. Not to forget that its already too long and yet you feel that there are many angles that have been missed out. So, a possibility of having the film releasing two parts or probably as a web series would have been better." [28]

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References

  1. ↑ "Swatantrya Veer Savarkar (12A)". British Board of Film Classification . 16 March 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  2. ↑ "Swatantra Veer Savarkar box office collection Day 2: Randeep Hooda starrer sees collections double on Saturday". The Times of India. 24 March 2024. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Hungama, Bollywood (22 March 2024). "Swatantrya Veer Savarkar Box Office Collection | India | Day Wise | Box Office - Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama . Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  4. ↑ "Randeep Hooda says he locked himself up in jail to prepare for Savarkar biopic". Hindustan Times. 26 February 2024.
  5. ↑ "Randeep Hooda pays tribute to freedom fighter Swatantryaveer Savarkar on death anniversary, shares experience from Kalapani visit". Mid-day. 26 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  6. ↑ "'Swatantrya Veer Savarkar': Randeep Hooda announces release date of Savarkar biopic". The Economic Times. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  7. ↑ "Randeep Hooda's Swatantrya Veer Savarkar Trailer Gives Glimpse of the Man Most Feared by British". ETV Bharat News. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 Gupta, Shubhra (22 March 2024). "Swantantrya Veer Savarkar movie review: Randeep Hooda is propulsive in a reductive, one-sided narrative". The Indian Express. But its one-sidedness makes it stridently one-sided, and, ultimately, reductive.
  9. 1 2 3 Rawal Kukreja, Monika (22 March 2024). "Swatantra Veer Savarkar review: Randeep Hooda is brilliant in unending biographical drama, but struggles with direction". Hindsutan Times. As a result, Swatantra Veer Savarkar ends up being a one-sided narrative
  10. ↑ Rawat, Sundeep Singh (28 March 2024). "Swatantrya Veer Savarkar Box Office Day 7: Randeep's movie collection drops". Business Standard . Retrieved 15 April 2024. it was criticised for distorting history and promoting a one-sided agenda.
  11. 1 2 Farzeen, Sana (22 March 2024). "'Swatantrya Veer Savarkar' Review: More hero worship than facts in Randeep Hooda film". India Today. often one-sided history lesson on the 'neglected' freedom fighter
  12. 1 2 "Swatantrya Veer Savarkar Movie Review". Pinkvilla . 22 March 2024.
  13. 1 2 "Swatantra Veer Savarkar Review: Randeep Hooda's Film Fails to Leave an Impact Despite His Impressive Act". News 18 . 22 March 2024.
  14. ↑ "Mahesh Manjrekar lashes out at Randeep Hooda for taking over Veer Savarkar biopic: 'There's a difference between sincerity and obsession'". The Indian Express. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  15. ↑ "Mahesh Manjrekar on quitting Savarkar biopic: Randeep Hooda's obsession". India Today. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  16. ↑ PTI (30 January 2024). "Randeep Hooda's 'Swatantrya Veer Savarkar' release date announced". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  17. ↑ "'वीर सावरकर' चित्रपट मराठीत येणार, 'हा' प्रसिद्ध मराठी अभिनेता बनला सावरकरांचा आवाज". Lokmat (in Marathi). 11 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  18. ↑ "Randeep Hooda's 'Swatantrya Veer Savarkar' to have OTT debut on Zee5 on freedom fighter's 141st birth anniversary". Firstpost . 20 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  19. ↑ "Diamond Toons launches comic on Swatantrya Veer Savarkar -". AnimationXpress. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  20. ↑ "Swatantra Veer Savarkar Box Office Collection: Randeep Hooda starrer collects about Rs 6 crore in second week". The Times of India. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  21. ↑ "Swatantrya Veer Savarkar". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  22. ↑ "Swatantrya Veer Savarkar Movie Review". The Times of India . 22 March 2024.
  23. ↑ "Swatantra Veer Savarkar Movie Review". Filmfare . 22 March 2024.
  24. ↑ "Swatantrya Veer Savarkar movie review: Randeep Hooda packs an impeccable punch in this hard-hitting & eye-opening biographical drama". Firstpost . 22 March 2024.
  25. ↑ Bray, Catherine (22 March 2024). "Swatantra Veer Savarkar review – biopic of Hindu nationalist is self-defeating call to arms". The Guardian.
  26. ↑ Kumar, Anuj (22 March 2024). "'Swatantrya Veer Savarkar' movie review: Randeep Hooda roars in this puff piece on the Hindutva ideologue". The Hindu.
  27. ↑ Bhatnagar, Rohit (22 March 2024). "Swantantrya Veer Savarkar Review: Randeep Hooda's Stellar Act Is The Highlight Of The Tiresome Film". Free Press Journal.
  28. ↑ Sur, Prateek (22 March 2024). "'Swatantrya Veer Savarkar' Movie Review: Randeep Hooda Squanders A Great Opportunity To Make A True-To-Life Biopic". Outlook.
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