EXCLUSIVE! Mrinal Dutt On Essaying Madan Lal Dhingra’s Character In Randeep Hooda’s Swatantra Veer Savarkar: ‘I Grabbed It With Both My Hands’

Over the years, actor Mrinal Dutt has garnered a huge fan base that loves and admires him to the fullest. He is all set to essay the role of Indian revolutionary and pro-independence activist Madan Lal Dhingra in Randeep Hooda’s upcoming movie Swatantra Veer Savarkar. Having established himself as an actor by working extensively in television serials, web series, and movies, during an exclusive chat with SpotboyE, he opened up about his journey in the entertainment industry and who he would like to work with in the future.

I think it’s been great, I love the fact that it is gradual. Even when I did television, I did finite series, so I was always choosy of the work I did. I would always choose from whatever I had in my hand. While you always don’t get what you want, when you do, you need to choose from it. I’m really happy with the way things have shaped up and I’m excited for my future projects as well. Right now, I’m excited for the character that I’m playing in Swatantra Veer Savarkar.

This is my good fortune that I get to play Madan Lal Ji’s character. Everyone knows about Bhagat Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azad, and Udham Singh. Madan Lal Dhingra did the same thing that Bhagat Singh did, however 20 years before the latter. He was the first Indian martyr on the foreign soil. The earlier-mentioned Indian revolutionaries were inspired by him. He was the first one, who as the audacity to kill a British senior officer, William Hutt Curzon Wyllie. He is a legend, who unfortunately is not as discussed by people as the others, who followed in his footsteps.

He had given a speech in the court, which Churchill said was one of the best revolutionary speeches he had ever heard. Madan Lal Dhingra set an example for many generations to come. He inspired people like Bhagat Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azad, and Udham Singh

Unfortunately, earlier I didn’t know about Mada Lal Ji. However, as I came to know about it, I felt very fortunate to have gotten the chance to play such a character. While many have essayed the roles of Bhagat Singh and Chandra Shekhar, but not Madan Lal Dhingra. I wouldn’t have let go of this opportunity. I grabbed it with both my hands. I read about him as much as I could. Through books, and online. I spoke to many people about him, especially my father and people of my grandfather’s age, who know about him. There is no video footage of him, however, his life his personality, and how rebellious he was have been documented in written.

Madan Lal Dhingra was a rebellious man and he hated the British rule. He was passionate about getting Indian freedom. So I tried to understand what kind of a person he was. He was a charismatic, well-educated, and charming man, who had this anger and rage against the Britishers. He passionately wanted to eradicate them from India. I read as much as I could about him. Even today, I’m finding new things about him because not everything about him is documented in one place. There is a lot to know about him, even though he was hanged at the age of 24.

It was great working with Randeep Hooda. Not only is a good actor, but also a good director. He is a great person to work with.

My reaction, to getting the part was neutral until I researched about my character, Madan Lal Dhingra. Getting to know him, and his work has impacted me a lot. When I realised what he had done for the country, I couldn’t have let go of the opportunity. I grabbed it with both my hands. If today I get an opportunity again to essay the role of a freedom fighter I would gladly choose Dhingra’s role. He is a hero, who hasn’t been spoken about. I was super excited to play the role of a revolutionary that inspired generations. He showed people that we can kill Britishers and fight them. I’m very fortunate that the audience might get to know him more.

Madan Lal Dhingra’s speech in the court, before he was going to be hanged, the one that even Churchill said that it was one of the best revolutionary speeches, was a memorable one. The entire set was in commotion as the crew was busy setting the lighting and the camera setup as Randeep and I were rehearsing for the scene. As everyone was so busy around us, I was standing in the witness box and Randeep was standing in front of me. We were rehearsing the lines. 

That speech is so powerful that it is bound to move you. The first time that I rehearsed, and said my lines to Randeep, both of us felt the power of what Madan Lal Dhingra was saying. We both had goosebumps as the speech had so much power, bravery, and so much sacrifice. Rongte kadhe ho gaye. At that moment we knew kya khatarnak cheez hui thi aur hum kya karne jaa rahe hai. (At that moment we knew the dangerous thing that had happened and what we were about to perform.)

I think I would love to do all kinds of roles. But if I had to choose I would love to do a biopic of a musician. I’m passionate about music and I even like to sing sometimes. So, I would love to play a musician in a biopic.

I would like to work in more thrillers, more intense dramas. I have dabbled in comedy and light-hearted stories. I have also done family dramas and period dramas. So I would like to essay many different characters. I would like to do a sports film, a gangster film, and every genre. I don’t want to limit myself. I feel like I have a lot to give and I would like to try everything out from comedy, and action to intense drama, everything. I would love to explore everything.

Zoya Akhtar, Hansal Mehta, Devashish Makhija, Anurag Kashyap, Abhishek Chaubey, and Konkana Sen Sharma are some of the directors on top of my head that I would like to work with. 

I have worked on a web series, which should be released in a month or two. It is produced by Times and Balaji. I’m about to start working on a new project from April-end. Even though I cannot reveal many details, I’m very excited about it.

I would like to tell them to go watch the film and learn about the unsung heroes. I really want them to go and see the sacrifices they made for our country. I hope they get a glimpse into the bravery and the history of Madan Lal Dhingra and the other revolutionaries.