Swatantra Veer Savarkar: Hooda’s Magnum Opus is a Perfect Tribute to the Unsung Warrior of Our Freedom Struggle

 By Avik Basak

 

 

After watching the final trailer of Swatantra Veer Savarkar that came out a few weeks before the film’s release, I told a friend of mine that I got this feeling that this film could be for Randeep Hooda what Citizen Kane (1941) was for Orson Welles. I simply made the comment because Welles too, despite being an acclaimed actor (primarily on stage) at that point in his career, was untested as a writer-director to helm a film of that magnitude just like Hooda was in this case. Citizen Kane later went on to become one of the classics of all time and turned out to be Welles’ magnum opus. Can Swatantra Veer Savarkar truly be considered as Hooda’s magnum opus in the same sense? We will come to that later.

 

 

At the core of the film, is the bonding between the Savarkar family, especially between the three brothers. It is a connection they have developed right from their childhood, due to what they have gone through just to survive. Hooda intelligently sows the seed for this right at the beginning of the film when it unexpectedly begins with a scene against the bubonic plague of 1897 where they see their father succumb to the epidemic while asking them to stay away so that they would live. The scene also provides us with an early understanding of the country’s dire situation at that time through this vital event that is lost somewhere in the pages of history. It is one of the strong points of the film that despite it being a biopic of one person, it manages to bring so many different events and characters to light that have been kept in the shadows by the “popular” narrative of the freedom movement.

 

The film manages to touch upon all the important points of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s life and in turn, touches upon some of the crucial facets of the freedom movement and showcases them from a different standpoint which many of us might not have been aware of. The story of Savarkar’s life and sacrifices for the independence movement has been told in a compelling manner, but Hooda’s biggest achievement here is hitting the nail on the head by giving the conflict between the two opposing ideologies of Savarkar and Gandhi the centre stage. As you might already know, while Savarkar believed in gaining independence through an armed revolution, Mahatma Gandhi was not keen to shift from his popular pacifist “Ahimsa” ways. While the film doesn’t portray Gandhi to be an out-and-out negative character, it paints him in such grey shades that we haven’t seen before. Imbued with Rajesh Khera’s brilliant soul-invoking performance, Gandhi’s entire character appears as the perfect antithesis to Savarkar which makes it a captivating tale. And to describe Hooda’s own performance as Savarkar, I can go on and on. But I would say this much: if you thought you had seen his best performance in Sarabjit, this film will make you think again. In fact, finding Randeep Hooda, the actor will be a tedious task for the viewer as all you can see is Savarkar in all his shine and glory (Or not).

 

 

Amongst other players, Amit Sial as Ganesh Damodar “Babarao” Savarkar, Veer Savarkar’s elder brother and Ankita Lokhande as Savarkar’s wife Yamunabai are magnificent. The scene where Yamunabai and Narayan Damodar Savarkar (Chetan Swaroop) deliver the news of the death of Babarao’s wife to the imprisoned brothers is as heart-wrenching as it is a cinematic brilliance; simply because of the performances. Russell Geoffrey Banks in the role of David Bary, the jailor of Andaman Cellular Jail (Kalapani) appears menacing while Palle Singh’s casting as Bary’s subordinate Mirza is also spot on. It is through these two, that we get to witness the amount of hatred the inmates, particularly the Hindu ones, had to cope with during their stay at the Kalapani. The rest of the supporting cast playing some of the iconic characters from Indian history are also quite believable and round off this amazing ensemble.

 

 

Although I have already talked a lot about Randeep Hooda the director, I must spare a few more words for him in this regard. Since the film had been made on a shoestring budget, there were a few scenes where the filmmakers had to take certain liberties to present the events subtly and it is here, where my comparison of Hooda with Orson Welles takes real shape. The way he innovates with his shot compositions, camera angles, light and sound, is masterful, to say the least. For instance, there is one scene containing a large public event where Gandhi and Savarkar both were slated to speak. Instead of shooting this scene in a big hall with a large gathering of extras, Hooda handles it through a tight close-up frame and a spotlight on the principal characters. It not only makes the scene poetic but also dramatically accentuates its value.

 

On the technical side, a couple of more things have to be applauded here – the film’s cinematography and its music. The way Arvind Krishna composes each shot through his amazing camerawork to bring Hooda’s vision to life is just flawless. It is due to him that the play of light and shadows could be used so symbolically by Hooda to its maximum effect. On the other hand, the collaboration between Sandesh Shandilya and Mathias Duplessy to work on the film’s background score has been excellent. Their musical numbers help provide a lot of goosebump moments for the audience while perfectly complementing the soul of the film. One musical number that stands out personally for me is the one that appears right at the end of the film when Savarkar is being arrested by the police of independent India on the pretence of ensuring that the Pakistani Prime Minister, Liaquat Ali Khan’s India tour could be completed without any disturbances.

 

 

So, to sum it up, let’s get back to the question that we raised at the beginning. Can Swatantra Veer Savarkar truly be considered as Randeep Hooda’s magnum opus in the same sense as Citizen Kane was to Orson Welles? Yes, without any doubt. The manner, in which Hooda, the filmmaker unveiled himself through this masterpiece, practically as an auteur, is worthy of numerous accolades (I doubt he will get many though) and the only parallel I can think of at the moment to describe it is of Welles and his Citizen Kane. 

 

The film is not without its flaws though. In an attempt to fit everything into the foray, there were some key events such as the “direct action day” that were missed. And there were a few that were shown so subtly, you cannot blame someone for not noticing them especially if they are not aware of the subject matter. But having said all this, Swatantra Veer Savarkar is a film that you cannot miss. However, by the time I have finished writing this review, it might have moved out of the theatres or might find itself with very few shows. But even if that is the case, it needs to be watched whenever it finds its way to the OTT platforms or TV screens. Even if you do not care about this hidden faction of our nation’s history and the amazing art of filmmaking that is on display here, you, your family and your friends can watch it to witness the tale of a person’s determination and devotion to the cause of his nation’s independence even if that led to unspeakable persecutions on the person himself. The film aims to pay a much-deserved tribute to this person who remained mostly unsung even after so many years since we gained independence.

 

4.8 Stars Out of 5 from Me…