Randeep Hooda plays the lead role in the Vinayak Damodar Savarkar biopic Swatantra Veer Savarkar in addition to directing the film.

The movie was released on March 22. Randeep discussed his dramatic physical transformation for the role -- which nearly cost him his life -- in a recent interview.

Randeep drew comparisons between his weight loss for Sarabjit (2016) and the Savarkar biopic, saying, “This time around, I was underweight for one-and-a-half years. When the previous producers shelved the movie, I had lost all my muscle mass. I recall passing out and tumbling off [my] horse. My calf was bent at a right angle to my thigh, which makes me realise how weak I may have been... that’s what happens when you deprive yourself of food for a long time. I couldn’t even walk.”

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That actor had to "quickly shed weight" when the film's production resumed following its production delay. Before starting Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, Randeep claimed to be a "92 kilo khata peeta (healthy) cop with a paunch" -- ostensibly alluding to his Inspector Avinash role -- and that he had to lose weight to reach 60kg.

“I had to be losing [a] kilo a day for a certain number of days... It was very tough. I would often feel extremely weak, and would faint. It’s a terrible thing for an actor to go through. But, I believe, looking the part is something every actor should do. It should be the [very least] one does. I had planned things out, but they didn’t work out. So, the longer that [I had to adhere to the diet], the more frustrated I became. I had to suffer due to a lack of organisation, and had to do it twice over... I absolutely could have died. I was in such a bad state. I [will] try to contractually bind people, if I’m going to attempt something like that.”

Fans quickly compared Hollywood actor Christian Bale, who underwent a similar task for his role in The Machinist (2004), to Randeep when his dramatic weight loss picture appeared on social media. Randeep clarifies that he is not considering choosing a project that necessitates such a change at this time.

The actor discussed "the physical, emotional, and financial trauma" of losing weight for the Savarkar biopic in the same interview. He claimed that his parents force him to swear that he won't drastically reduce his weight again whenever he accepts a role like this. He claimed they even threatened to leave their stay with him in Mumbai if he did.

Ankita Lokhande and Amit Sial co-star with Randeep in the film Swatantra Veer Savarkar. On March 22, the Hindi and Marathi versions of the movie were released in theatres.