Fans praise Randeep Hooda's shocking transformation

Indian actor Randeep Hooda is sharing his journey of preparing to portray the Indian freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in the film Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. In a recent Instagram post, the actor showcased his significant body transformation with a shirtless picture, prompting comparisons to actor Christian Bale.

The mirror selfie Randeep shared on Instagram revealed the actor looking remarkably lean, wearing oversized shorts. In the caption, he simply wrote, “Kaala Pani,” likely indicating his transformation for scenes set in the cellular jail (Kaala Paani) featured in the film.

Fans reacted to the post, with one remarking, “Our own Christian Bale!” referencing the Hollywood actor's extreme physical transformations for roles. Another praised Randeep's dedication, commenting, “Just look at the dedication…hats off!” Others acknowledged his commitment, citing his previous role in Sarbjit, where he underwent significant weight loss for authenticity.

Previously, Randeep shared images of himself visiting a cell in Kalapani, where Savarkar was imprisoned. He revealed that he had locked himself in the cell during a recce for the film, attempting to experience what Savarkar endured. "During the recce on his biopic, I tried to lock myself inside this cell to feel what he must have gone through. I couldn’t stay locked for even 20 minutes where he was locked for 11 years, often in solitary confinement,” he said in the caption.

Directed and co-written by Randeep alongside Utkarsh Naithani, Swatantrya Veer Savarkar is produced by Anand Pandit Motion Pictures and Randeep Hooda Films in association with Legend Studios and Avak Films.

Narrating the story of what brought him to the director’s chair for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, the actor previously told India Today, “It was a series of events that led me to it. I was cast as an actor in this film and, since there was no real script, I kept waiting for it and I kept losing weight. So, I wrote it myself with my co-writer Utkarsh Naithani, and then the universe conspired. I got the baton of the director, and it was something which I would probably have done later on in my life.”

He continued, “It was a big historical movie, a factual film and about such a controversial character, so it was like jumping into the deep end of the sea right from the beginning. It came to writing a screenplay, then as a director, then post-production, then editing. So, thanks to Mr. Vinayak Damodar Savarkarji I have gone from just an actor into a writer, director, and even a producer, and it has been a meteoric learning process for me and I still am learning.”

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