Character.represents every Indian woman”: Ankita Lokhande on her role in ‘Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’

She told ANI, “The character is such that who represents every Indian woman. A strong character who has supported her husband a lot in everything. Even when she wasn’t physically present there, her husband was in the Kala Pani. And actually, Yamunabai is such a character who represents what a housewife can do when something happens to her family.”
Lokhande plays the character of Yamunabai Savarkar, the wife of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar who will be portrayed by her co-star, Randeep Hooda.
She added, “I read about Veer Savarkar but never knew so much about Yamunabai. But when you play such characters, you understand their entire journey. How they lived, what their character was like. She was like an unsung hero. If her husband was fighting at the Kala Pani she was fighting a battle outside for her family. There was an incident in the film when her son died and her husband was not aware of it. But the way she handles everything is incredible. It is all about commitment.”
The actor said that playing such a character is a responsibility. “It feels great when you play such a role and it feels great.’
On working with Randeep Hooda, she shared, “The way he gave details about every character, helped a lot to understand them. His detailing helped me a lot to perform well.”
While sharing what made him say ‘yes’ to the role, she said, “My friend Sandeep Singh, who is the producer, brought this film to me. And he was very keen that I should do this character. I feel that I am very good at doing strong women-oriented characters. I feel very empowered. I feel that I want to do such things in the future too. So I didn’t take much time to say yes to this film.”
Directed by actor Randeep Hooda, who also essays the role of Savarkar. The film promises to be more than just a biopic; it’s an epic and daring retelling of India’s armed revolution for independence.
The trailer begins with Randeep Hooda as Veer Savarkar walking in the Kaala Paani prison, setting the tone with an impactful voiceover, “Hum sabne padha hai ki BHARAT ko aazadi ahinsa se mili hai lekin yeh voh kahaani nahi hai” (We have all read that India attained freedom through non-violence, but this is not that story).
The film encapsulates the journey and struggles of Freedom Fighter Swatantrya Veer Savarkar in the fight for India’s independence.
The trailer also showcases the historic moment when the two influential leaders, Mahatma Gandhi, and Veer Savarkar, met, highlighting the difference in their ideologies and approaches towards India’s independence struggle. The trailer unravels the film’s focus on the Indian armed revolution along with glimpses of its leaders and martyrs such as Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Madanlal Dhingra, Bhagat Singh and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose while teasing the politics of that period making the film most anticipated with the revelations it has in store to modern Indian history, which the film promises to rewrite.
Produced by Zee Studios, Anand Pandit, Sandeep Singh, Randeep Hooda, and Yogesh Rahar. Co-produced by Roopa Pandit, Sam Khan, Anwar Ali, and Panchali Chakraborty.
Starring Randeep Hooda, Ankita Lokhande, and Amit Sial is slated to release on 22nd March 2024 in two languages – Hindi and Marathi.