We just returned home from the second show of Chhaava and I should say it is not really a Valentine’s day material!
Anyway…
During Christmas 2024, we had visited Maharastra and that was when I decided to start researching a little about Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj. I also found out a little about Chhatrapathi Sambhaji Maharaj. I didn’t know then about the movie, but I found out that a city has been re-named after Chhatrapathi Sambhaji Maharaj and found it fascinating.
The trailer caught my attention in it’s tight grasp and I asked Mr.Bee to take me to this movie, even though I knew the ending of the story, thanks to my online research! (Yup, this movie was our Valentine’s day movie date!)
Movie : Chhaava (2025)
Starring: Vicky Kaushal, Akshay Khanna, Rashmika Mandanna, Ashutosh Rana, Divya Dutta and more
Directed by: Laxman Utekar
Released on : 14 Feb 2025
Watched on : 14 Feb 2025, i.e. on Chhaava Diwas!
Even before the movie started, the theater echoed with chants of Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj ki jai and Chhatrapathi Sambhaji Maharaj ki jai and even Mr.Bee joined in and woooed and shouted yey or something on those lines!
The movie starts with Aurangazeb (Akshay Khanna) receiving the news about the death of Chhatrapathi Shivaji, the Lion of Deccan! (We never see Chhatrapathi, just a voice). The director already scored brownie points by casting Akshay Khanna as the lead villain. Though he has less number of scenes, I still enjoyed seeing him after a hiatus. I didn’t like his hair though. I had this immense itch, to pull him aside from the screen and to either give him a new wig or shave off his hair completely! Lol!
Then comes the hero, Chhaava, Chhatrapathi Sambhaji Maharaj (Vicky Kaushal), who is eager to prove to Aurangazeb that although Chhatrapathi is dead, his son is still a threat. Incidentally, Chhaava in Marati means a lion cub. (Initially I thought the title was a variation to the Hindi word, Chhaav, which means shade/shadow) Sambhaji takes a small but valiant Maratha army to win over Mughal kingdom’s treasury of Burhanpur. This is his way of claiming the now vacant Maratha throne as his own as well as warning Aurangazeb. He even fights a lion here.
He is soon crowned as the second Chhatrapathi. His step mother tries in vain to get him killed, meanwhile he has enemies in his own camp, who want to bring him down, thanks to him killing off some of Shivaji loyalists! (They plan an assassination along with his step mother to bring down Sambhaji)
We also get to see Rashmika Mandanna as Yeshu Bai, Sambhaji’s wife. It is a welcome change to watch her dressed in regal wear! Historic movies truly put women on a pedestal and make them look effortlessly beautiful.
Aurangazeb is set on putting Sambhaji in his place for destroying his favourite Burhanpur, all the while Sambhaji is busy inspiring his people and waging wars. I loved the scenes where Sambhaji brought out his leadership to the fore. It was a pleasure to watch him inspiring his subjects. (It is said that in his brief rule of 9 years, Sambhaji fought nearly 120 wars and never lost any!)
Sambhaji also has emotional turmoil of his own, to be a king worthy of his father, who also misses the presence of a motherly figure in his life, since he grew up mostly in exile (at least that’s what it looked like to me).
Finally, after downsizing the Mughal army through Gorilla warfare tactics, with his small army of loyal Marathas, Sambhaji is captured in Sangameswar. From here on the movie becomes intense. The scene where Sambhaji and his loyal friend Kavi Kalash are captured and brought to Aurangazeb made me sad, because I knew what was going to happen next.
The last half an hour or more was alloted to the gory torture Sambhaji Maharaj had to undergo. I couldn’t look at the screen at all ( I could only look at the screen through the gaps of my palms covering my face!) I hate to see blood onscreen, but this is the first instance where I wanted to watch the movie for the lead actors inspite of all the blood and what not!
The cruel Mughal emperor, Aurangazeb who knows nothing about fighting for a right cause or sacrificing his life for the people of his kingdom is taken aback by the fearless Chhatrapathi Sambhaji Maharaj and his dharma.
**** spoiler: Gory details of torture ahead ****
Chhatrapathi Sambhaji Maharaj is skinned alive, with salt rubbed on his skin, nails pulled out from his hands and feet, his tongue cut and his eyes gauged out. He succumbed to the 40 days long torture.
But according to other sources I found out that after blinding Sambhaji, he was beheaded and his body mutilated and fed to dogs!
**** end of gory details ****
Chhatrapathi Sambhaji Maharaj refused the offer of life from Aurangazeb and chose death. Aurangazeb wanted Sambhaji to forego Hinduism and his beliefs and convert to Islam, which is a no-brainer.
I swear the last 30 mintues in the movie, the theater was completely silent. Pin – drop – silence! Never have I ever seen such effect in a theater.
The movie ends with Sambhaji finally meeting his mom.
P.S:
- Aurangabad has been renamed as Chhatrapathi Sambhaji Nagar, thanks to Shiv Sena government in 2022. The decision had been pending since 1995!
- This movie reminded me all the brave souls who sacrificed their lives for the country and how we are lucky to reap the benefits. Chhatrapathi Shivaji, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Subhaash Chandra Bose, Chandrasekhar Azad, Potti Sreeramulu (and many more freedom fighters) and most of all, the honourable Indian Army.
- I am unable to understand how someone can torture a person to make him or her listen or submit to themselves. A special kind of a psychologically- challenged human can only do that to another human!
- The movie did have its high points like acting of hero and the villain, but the first half could have been better. They could have edited out some scenes from the first half, since it felt a little dheela (loose). I would love to watch a movie with Vicky Kaushal, under the direction of Rajamouli. That might be an interesting combination, Tauba Tauba!
- The way Sambhaji was back stabbed by his own brother in law reminded me of the ‘literal’ back stabbing of Baahubali by Kattappa and all the meme fest!
- Vicky Kaushal breathed and lived like Chhatrapathi Sambhaji Maharaj and Akshay Khanna was no less menacing and creepy! I liked the BGM when Aurangazeb appeared onscreen and the music in this movie may not be A.R.Rahman’s best work.
I know even hard core fans of Chhatrapathi Shivaji will begin to look at Sambhaji (very little is known to everyone, because history has been destroyed) in a new light and finally remember him as DharamVeer Chhatrapathi Sambhaji Maharaj! Jai Maratha!
Leave a Reply