Mumbai, Mar 4 (IANS): Actress Ankita Lokhande, who essays the role of Yamunabai Savarkar, the wife of V. D. Savarkar, in the upcoming Randeep Hooda-directorial 'Swantantrya Veer Savarkar', has said that her director and fellow actor was not in favour of make-up for her character.

She said Randeep did so to bring out the rawness of the character.

The film, which had its trailer unveiled in Mumbai on Monday, is based on the life of V.D. Savarkar and promises to show his importance in India’s struggle for Independence.

The actress told IANS, “I relate with Yamunabai because she is a very strong woman. If I talk about the preparations for this role, Randeep gave me freedom as an actor. As a director, he'd listen to how I wanted to perform/execute a scene and then tell me what he wanted me to do. This character isn't about dialogues, but more about expression."

She added, “Yamunabai went through a lot in her life. She endured a lot of pain, which I have tried to portray on screen. I don’t know whether I have done justice to the character, but I am a director's actor. That’s what I feel. I try to always follow what the director instructs me or wants from me.

"I had blind trust in Randeep. When my look was being discussed, Randeep clearly mentioned that he didn't want any kind of make-up on me. He wanted me to be raw and rugged, just like how Yamunabai was. That also helped me perform and enhance the role while playing it."

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, the film is set to release in Hindi and Marathi on March 22.