On the 140th birth anniversary of renowned freedom fighter Veer Savarkar, megastar Ram Charan announced the film ‘The India House’, the first film under his production banner ‘V Mega Pictures’. The RRR star has joined hands with Abhishek Agarwal, producer of blockbusters like ‘The Kashmir Files’ and ‘Karthikeya 2’. The Ram Vamsi Krishna directorial ‘The India House’ starring actor Nikhil Siddhartha and veteran actor Anupam Kher is inspired by the life of Veer Savarkar and his stay at India House in London during the freedom struggle.
Taking to Twitter to announce his debut production, Ram Charan wrote, “On the occasion of the 140th birth anniversary of our great freedom fighter Veer Savarkar Garu we are proud to announce our pan India film – THE INDIA HOUSE headlined by Nikhil Siddhartha, Anupam Kher ji & director Ram Vamsi Krishna! Jai Hind!”
On the occasion of the 140th birth anniversary of our great freedom fighter Veer Savarkar Garu we are proud to announce our pan India film – THE INDIA HOUSE
— Ram Charan (@AlwaysRamCharan) May 28, 2023
headlined by Nikhil Siddhartha, Anupam Kher ji & director Ram Vamsi Krishna!
Jai Hind!@actor_Nikhil @AnupamPKher… pic.twitter.com/YYOTOjmgkV
‘The India House’ promises to lead audiences back in time and captivate them with a heartwarming story. The film’s teaser is set in the pre-independence era in London and indicates that the film unfolds a love story during a time of political unrest around ‘The India House’. The teaser concludes with the dramatic sight of a burning India House, hinting at the action to come.
Veer Savarkar’s connection with the iconic India House in London
The promo of the movie posted by Ram Charan says that it is ‘based on a forgotten chapter in Indian history’. That chapter in history refers to India House in London, a student hostel for Indians, and the period when Veer Savarkar stayed in the house while studying law.
The India House at 65, Cromwell Avenue, Highgate, London was a hostel for Indian students studying in Britain, founded by prominent freedom fighter Shyamji Krishna Varma in 1905. Varma is remembered as a staunch nationalist who launched the Indian Home Rule Society (IHRS), and The Sociologist—an outlet that played a major role in disseminating nationalist ideas. Varma founded the India House in July 1905 at a time when revolutionary nationalism gained prominence among the Indian masses following the portion of Bengal in 1905.
The India House is a large Victorian mansion in North London, which was inaugurated on 1 July 1905 by Henry Hyndman. Several prominent persons, including Dadabhai Naoroji, Charlotte Despard and Bhikaji Cama attended the event. Apart from being a hostel, the house also became the headquarters of several organisations, including the Indian Home Rule Society (IHRS). The hostel had a lecture hall, library and reading room.
The hostel became a hub of meetings of the nationalists and hosted students like Veer Savarkar, Madan Lal Dhingra, and Lala Har Dayal among others. Every Sunday, the meeting of IHRS was held at India House. Veer Savarkar arrived at India House in London in 1906 on a scholarship from Varma. After Shyamji Krishna Varma left for Paris in 1907, Savarkar emerged as the leader of IHRS. Having founded the Abhinav Bharat Society in India in 1905, Savarkar continued with the society’s activities while in London. Copies of the bomb manual were also printed at the India House in London. From 17 August 1906 to 26 November 1909, Savarkar sent 43 newsletters from India House. These were regarding politics and current events, and they were published in the Marathi journal Vihari.
Savarkar founded the Free India Society (FIS) in London and also opened a branch of Abhinav Bharat. He had organised regular public meetings and demonstrations from the India House. Apart from the Indian Sociologist, the Savarkar also distributed other pamphlets like Bande Mataram and Oh Martyrs. Such revolutionary literature was camouflaged, and shipped to India from different addresses to prevent detection.
India House quickly became the headquarters of the Indian revolutionary movement in Britain. Its newest recruits were young Indian men and women who arrived in London for higher studies. These members regularly attended the Sunday evening gatherings at India House where Savarkar delivered lectures on subjects like the revolution’s guiding philosophy and assassination tactics.
Several Indian leaders had visited the hostel when they visited London during that time. MK Gandhi also stayed at the India House during his London visit in 1906, where he met Savarkar for the first time. During the stay, Savarkar had offered him prawns he had cooked, and staunch vegetarian Gandhi was horrified by it. To it, Savarkar had responded, “If you cannot eat with us, how on earth are you going to work with us? Moreover, this is just boiled fish, whereas we want people who are ready to eat the British alive!” This marked the stark difference in approach to the freedom struggle by the two freedom fighters.
Savarkar believed in an armed revolution against the British and had started working towards the same from India House. Apart from revolutionary meetings, explosive workshops were also held in the hostel. Reportedly, the residents of India House and members of Abhinav Bharat also practised shooting at a range in Tottenham Court Road in Central London, and rehearsed assassinations.
However, its activities attracted the attention of politicians and it was discussed in the parliament, and newspapers like Time demanded action against its leadership. By 1909, the India House came under the surveillance of Scotland Yard. The police were able to plant a mole in the hostel, an Indian student named Kritikar. He was reporting the activities of the hostel to Scotland Yard, but later he was caught by Savarkar and forced to confess.
The India House closed down in 1909, following the assassination of Curzon Wyllie, the political aide-de-camp to the Secretary of State for India, Lord George Hamilton. Curzon Wyllie was shot dead using a revolver by Madan Lal Dhingra, a member of the India House, at the Imperial Institute, South Kensington. After the event, Savarkar refused to condemn the assassination in an article in The Sociologist. It is also alleged Savarkar had supplied the gun to Dhingra.
This followed a crackdown on India House by the police, forcing several of the leaders to move to France, Germany and other countries. Moreover, the students also stopped supporting the activities due to threats to their education and career. After that, India House was shut down, and it was sold in 1910. However, London’s India House inspired Indians in other countries to open such Indian Houses in many other countries, including USA and Japan.
Savarkar had also moved to Paris in 1909 following the crackdown on India House. But he returned to London in 1910, ignoring the advice of his friends asking him not to do so. He was arrested and charged with multiple offences, including procurement and distribution of arms, waging war against the state, and delivering seditious speeches, and was extradited to India. He was tried and convicted in India, and was sent to the Cellular Jail in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The India House still exists today in London. A plaque at India House unveiled by Lord Fenner Brockway on 8 June 1985 reads, “Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, 1883 – 1966, Indian patriot and philosopher, lived here.”
A replica of the India House has been built at Kranti Teerth, the memorial dedicated to Shyamji Krishna Varma, located near Mandvi in Gujarat.
Trailer of Randeep Hooda’s ‘Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’ launched
The teaser of the much-awaited film ‘Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’ starring actor Randeep Hooda in the titular role has also been released. Anand Pandit and Sandeep Singh have produced the film, which also stars Ankita Lokhande and Amit Sial. The teaser was released on Sunday to commemorate Savarkar’s 140th birthday.
The teaser begins with Randeep stepping into the jail premises and saying, “The struggle for freedom lasted 90 years, but only a few fought this war.” The rest were desperate for power.”
Randeep is seen walking towards the gallows as a voice-over says, “Gandhiji was not a bad person, but India would have gotten freedom 35 years earlier if he had not insisted on his non-violent policies.” Randeep, who plays the title character in the film, is shown being tortured in jail.
“Moolyavaan toh sone ki lanka bhi thi lein baat agar kisi ki swatantrata ki ho toh dahan toh hoke rahega (Even Ravan’s Golden Lanka was precious, but when freedom is at stake, then be it Ravan Raj or British Raj, it shall be burnt down,” Randeep as Savarkar is heard saying in the trailer.
The most wanted Indian by the British. The inspiration behind revolutionaries like – Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh & Khudiram Bose.
— Randeep Hooda (@RandeepHooda) May 28, 2023
Who was #VeerSavarkar? Watch his true story unfold!
Presenting @RandeepHooda in & as #SwantantryaVeerSavarkar In Cinemas 2023… pic.twitter.com/u0AaoQIbWt
Taking to Twitter, Randeep Hooda shared a poster of the film and wrote “The most wanted Indian by the British. The inspiration behind revolutionaries like – Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh & Khudiram Bose. Who was #VeerSavarkar? Watch his true story unfold! Presenting @RandeepHooda in & as #SwantantryaVeerSavarkar In Cinemas 2023.”
