Mahesh Manjrekar on quitting the film 'Swantantrya Veer Savarkar': 'Randeep Hooda's obsession killed the film for me'

Actor and filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar was all set to direct Randeep Hooda’s Swantantrya Veer Savarkar that was announced recently. Now the director and the actor of the historical are the same. While speaking to Bollywood Hungama, the filmmaker delved into the details of why he stepped away from the project and what went behind the prep of the film. He said, “The only thing which hurt me was that it seemed as if Randeep had planned to slowly ease me out of the film.”

‘Lived with the story for more than five years’

He revealed, “It was I who approached producers Sandeep Singh and Anand Pandit with the subject. They agreed to work on the project. We then discussed who should play the lead. Randeep’s name came up. We did a look test with him. I realized that he fit the bill. Hence, we signed him. I don’t write dialogues. My screenplay was there, and Sandeep suggested that we get a writer on board.”

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Meeting Randeep

I met Randeep and I saw that he’s quite sincere and was involved with the subject. We had a couple of meetings. He read several books related to the freedom struggle, World Wars etc. I found it quite interesting. The first draft was read out to him. He had a few issues and that was okay. Then even during the second draft, he had (some objections). I told him, ‘If this is what’s going to happen, there will be a problem in the film’. He assured me that once the script is locked, he won’t question anything.

The actor’s suggestions

He wanted to incorporate Hitler, the King of England, the Prime Minister of England, etc. He wanted to incorporate Lokmanya Tilak’s ‘Swaraj is my birthright and I’ll get it’ episode. I wondered how all this matters to Savarkar’s biopic. I reasoned that we were doing a biopic on Savarkar. When Richard Attenborough made Gandhi (1982), the film focused on Mr Gandhi. I didn’t even see Mr Gandhi’s son in the film. I tried to convince him that incorporating these figures is unnecessary. But he remained adamant. Because he had read too many things; his reading now became a liability. He wanted to incorporate a scene of Bhagat Singh with Savarkar. I was appalled. Where did this happen? He also wanted to incorporate prisoners from the 1857 mutiny in Andaman Jail. I asked, ‘How can we show that?’. He insisted that we can and that they must have been 90 years old.

The decision to step out

He then started telling him that I can shoot in a particular way and then put the dissolve transition. I was like, ‘Now he’s telling me how to make films’. I made it clear that I am going to direct my way. I also realized that he’s not letting me work. I met the producers. They have been nice to me. I told them ‘This film won’t be made if we both are a part of it. So, it’s either me or him in the film’. Maybe now they are realizing that they made a wrong decision. It was my story. I wanted to make the film my way. That is why I got the producers on board. I am not questioning Randeep’s sincerity. But there’s a difference between sincerity and obsession.