PremiumSwatantrya Veer Savarkar on ZEE5 – Know the real story before the OTT release of Randeep Hooda's film
Randeep Hooda’s Swatantrya Veer Savarkar releases on OTT on May 28, which is Savarkar's birth anniversary
Last Updated: 08.11 PM, May 27, 2024
Swatantrya Veer Savarkar is scheduled for its OTT release soon. The movie, starring Randeep Hooda as the main lead, is inspired from a real-life story. Randeep tried to talk about the events in Indian Independence fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s life. It is interesting to note that after a point, Savarkar had stopped openly revolting against the British. However, of course, it is the time of the revolt which Randeep explores in his movie. Here’s everything you need to know about the real-life story of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar aka Savarkar who got the titles of Swatantrya and Veer.
Who was Vinayak Damodar Savarkar?
To begin with, Savarkar was a student activist in India, who shifted to London and wrote books about how to achieve Indian Independence. In his own way, Savarkar contributed to the 1947 struggle and eventual independence. That is how Savarkar got his titles Veer and Swatantrya.
However, his tale was different because Savarkar stopped revolting against the British. This happened after he was captured and given the sentence of 50 years imprisonment. After pleading to the British Government and possibly promising to not revolt against them, Savarkar got out of The Cellular prison (a remote prison in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where political figures were imprisoned) in 14 years. He then switched to politics.
What was his political agenda?
Savarkar became a leader of Hindu Mahasabha. Naturally, his aim was to make the Hindus of the country stronger and make India ‘Hindu Rashtra’ or ‘Akhand Bharat,’ thus excluding both ‘misfits (his actual words)’ Muslims and Christians from India. ‘Hinduize all Politics and Militarize Hindudom,’ was the slogan by his party.
Savarkar, who believed that women’s duties were limited to kitchen and children, and advocated r*pe as a political tool, even opposed the Quit India movement launched by Congress. Interestingly though, his party had joined hands with Muslim League and other parties too. Not too long after, Savarkar’s named got mired in one of the biggest controversies in the Nation.
Was Savarkar behind Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination?
It is well known that Nathuram Godse carried out Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination on January 30, 1948. However, nobody knows the whole story of why did the assassination take place and if it was Godse’s own decision or that he was pushed into making the move. Godse was a part of Hindu Mahasabha at the time. Savarkar was arrested for conspiracy to murder on February 5 but released owing to lack of evidence in the case. Another tale suggests that Godse met Savarkar ahead of the assassination and that Savarkar had blessed him, stating that the task will be completed successfully. Of course, owing to the link, angry mob did stone pelting on Savarkar’s house in Dadar. Having seen downfall, Savarkar went on to pursue fasting until death. He commenced the same on February 1, 1966, and by February 26, he was pronounced dead. He did not receive any official mourning from either Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee or the central government in Delhi. No minister from the Maharashtra cabinet paid tribute to him. Nonetheless, today, he has the Andaman and Nicobar’s airport renamed from Port Blair to Veer Savarkar International airport. The name change happened in 2002 and is still the same. Back in 2017, Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena demanded the Indian Government to confer Savarkar with Bharat Ratna.
Apart from Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, two Marathi movies namely Veer Savarkar and What About Savarkar? were released as a tribute to Savarkar. Swatantrya Veer Savarkar releases on Savarkar’s birth anniversary, May 28. It will be available for streaming on Zee5 and OTTplay Premium.