Wounded but still ferocious, Chhattrapati Sambhaji Maharaj is chained by the Mughal army, led by Aurangzeb. Calling himself ‘Chhaava’ (lion cub), the Maratha instils fear within the enemy camp, leaving Mughal emperor Aurangzeb frustrated.
Vicky Kaushal, known for biopics like Sardar Udham and Sam Bahadur, plays the valiant Maratha warrior king Chhattrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in Laxman Utekar’s Chhaava. The Maddock films production released on February 14 and has shattered numerous records, further enhancing Kaushal’s filmography.
Finding time between work and family duties, I grabbed popcorn in the theatre next to my house to watch this historical drama based on Shivaji Sawant’s book Chhaava.
Chhaava movie plot
The Mughal empire led by Aurangzeb comes to know about the death of Maratha warrior king Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The Mughal ruler orders a celebration across his empire as his courtiers predict the fall of the Maratha empire.
However, the Mughals are in for a shock as their key administrative center comes under attack from the Marathas, now led by Sambhaji Bhonsle, the son of Chhatrapati. With his bravado and military acumen, he manages to destroy Burhanpur and signals his arrival.
Aurangzeb, at the fag end of his rule, takes a vow not to wear the crown until the new Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj is captured.
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Chhaava movie review
Vicky Kaushal has aced the role of Chhattrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. He has moulded himself effortlessly into the character. Throughout the runtime of the film, your eye would be transfixed to the screen and admire the great Maratha through Kaushal.
But Chhaava is incomplete without Akshaye Khanna, who plays the antagonist Aurangzeb. Right from his looks to the body language, the actor gets the flavour of the character spot on. If Ashutosh Rana plays the great warrior’s general Hambirrao Mohite, Vineet Kumar Singh deserves special applause as Kavi Kalash.
Rashmika Mandanna as Yesubai plays the Maratha king’s wife and close confidante in the Laxman Utekar directorial. Divya Dutta too has an impactful presence as Soyarabai.
If you are a fan of historical drama and have been ruing the fact that Bollywood hasn’t come up with a watchable flick in this genre, your wait seems to end here.