Randeep Hooda left everyone shocked with his transformation for his film ‘Swatantra Veer Savarkar‘. The actor had also directed the movie apart from playing the titular part and being a producer on this biopic. While he’s gotten immense accolades for his performance, the journey on this film has clearly not been easy. He’s gone through some really challenging times and shedding more light on it, Randeep said in an interview that he could have died due to this film.
He underwent a lot of weight loss for being Savarkar and that caused a lot of health issues to him.He has lost strength in his knees due to lack of muscle mass and hence will have to get himself operated now. “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 (again),” said Randeep in a chat with Mid-day.
The actor also revealed that he was on anti-anxiety pills so that he could sleep. “Being hungry gives you a lot of energy; your mind wanders because you don’t have the hormones that aid you to sleep. Also, my body has changed. I have gained 20 kilos again, but my body lacks the [traditional definition] it had. I’ve been on anti-anxiety and sleeping pills for a while now, and want to wean myself off them. That was needed, because, at times, I was so hungry that I couldn’t sleep.”
The film was shelved by its earlier producers but by that time, Randeep had already lost a lot of weight. “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. Then, I took help from [a] physiotherapist, and started practicing walking on the treadmill under water. I had a sequence to execute in the film where my character, Mr Savarkar, escapes in France. This training was essential for that.”
He underwent a lot of weight loss for being Savarkar and that caused a lot of health issues to him.He has lost strength in his knees due to lack of muscle mass and hence will have to get himself operated now. “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 (again),” said Randeep in a chat with Mid-day.
The actor also revealed that he was on anti-anxiety pills so that he could sleep. “Being hungry gives you a lot of energy; your mind wanders because you don’t have the hormones that aid you to sleep. Also, my body has changed. I have gained 20 kilos again, but my body lacks the [traditional definition] it had. I’ve been on anti-anxiety and sleeping pills for a while now, and want to wean myself off them. That was needed, because, at times, I was so hungry that I couldn’t sleep.”
The film was shelved by its earlier producers but by that time, Randeep had already lost a lot of weight. “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. Then, I took help from [a] physiotherapist, and started practicing walking on the treadmill under water. I had a sequence to execute in the film where my character, Mr Savarkar, escapes in France. This training was essential for that.”
