Actor Jay Patel impressed fans with his performance in Randeep Hooda’s ‘Swatantra Veer Savarkar’, which hit screens on March 22. The biographical drama opened to a lukewarm response at the box office despite positive reviews but held its own in the long run.
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Guardian, Jay Patel said that the team is happy about the film’s performance. He further said that the cast and the crew worked tirelessly during the shoot without taking any days off.
“The breakeven has happened and it is a super success. All investments were covered and I had a word with Randeep about the same. Everyone was super-duper happy. We didn’t take even a single day off,” he said.
‘Swatantra Veer Savarkar’ features Jay Patel as Shyamji Krishna Varma, a lawyer and revolutionary fighter. The actor said that Randeep Hooda was decided to cast in the role as he was impressed by his knowledge about Shyamji Krishna Varma.
“One of my closest friends’ house is located very close to his house. It was not even a kilometre away. I grew up hearing a lot about Shyamji Krishna Varma from his family. So, I knew the A to Z about him. Randeep was impressed by my knowledge of Shyamji Krishna Varma. He was keen to have me do the part, said Jay Patel.
The actor also called this the toughest project he has worked on and revealed that he went the extra mile to get the right body language for the part. He added that he would reach the shoot location four hours before the actual shoot began to perfect his look.
“I had to behave like a 58-year-old person. The makeup alone needed like four hours. He reached the set at 5:00 am. We had to understand the way you walk as an older man. And get the right body language,” he said.
Jay Patel added that the team took extra care to get the facts right as the film is based on real events.
“It was a historical project and you need to be careful while dealing with the subject. Randeep read over 90 books for this project.”, said the actor.
‘Swatantra Veer Savarkar’, directed by and starring Randeep Hooda, is a biographical period drama that highlights the titular freedom fighter’s life and ideologies. It stars Ankita Lokhande as the leading lady and is one of the most prestigious projects of her career. The film also features Amit Sial, and Mark Bennington in pivotal roles.
‘Swatantra Veer Savarkar’ was released in theatres on March 22.