Randeep Hooda reflected on the challenges he faced while directing his debut film, Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, which was partially shot in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. He acknowledged that he was difficult to work with during the grueling production and had high expectations for his team.
In an interview, Hooda revealed that the project’s expenses soared unexpectedly due to unforeseen circumstances involving an airline. The airline’s sudden shutdown led to a sharp surge in flight ticket prices to Port Blair, forcing Hooda to fly hundreds of people to the location at inflated costs, significantly escalating the production’s expenses.
While chatting with Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa on their podcast, Randeep was asked if he actually shot the film in Port Blair. He then shared, “Yes, that’s where I lost my money.” Explaining further, he said, “Go Air shut down when we went down for our recce. The one-way fare to Port Blair became Rs 45,000 or Rs 50,000. And I took between 150 and 200 people there! Flights would operate only twice a week, which meant that I had to pay for lodging and food for everybody who came in. The amount of money I spent there…”
The 47-year-old actor had earlier revealed in an interview that even though everyone had warned him against putting his own money into the film, he decided to take his father’s help when no other option was left.
“My father has been trying to save all the money for me because I’m a bit open-handed. He was scared that I would lose all my money on fast women and slow horses. So, he started saving on my behalf and bought a couple of flats in Mumbai,” Randeep added.
Released on March 22, Swatantra Veer Savarkar starred Randeep Hooda, Ankita Lokhande, Amit Sial, Apinderdeep Singh and Mark Bennington among others. The film was based on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and his contribution during the Indian Independence struggle. It earned over Rs 30 crore at the Indian box office.
News18 Showsha gave the film a three-star rating and wrote, “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.”
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