Ishaan
P
Zore
doesn’t
think
Vicky
Kaushal’s
persona
quite
matches
Chhatrapati
Sambhaji’s
iconic
figure.
Chhatrapati
Sambhaji,
the
son
of
the
great
Maratha
warrior
king
Chhatrapati
Shivaji,
ascended
the
Maratha
throne
almost
an
year
after
his
father’s
death
on
April
3,
1680.
Historians
have
vividly
described
him
as
a
man
with
immense
physical
strength,
sharp
battle
tactics
but
a
‘reckless
decision-maker’
(as
described
by
Shivaji
himself
and
mentioned
in
Shriman
Yogi
by
Ranjit
Desai).
Born
on
May
14,
1657,
to
Shivaji
and
Saibai,
Sambhaji
was
officially
crowned
as
the
Chhatrapati
on
January
16,
1681
(his
symbolic
coronation
happened
on
July
20,
1680)
at
the
age
of
24
after
his
father’s
death.
Sambhaji
is
fondly
referred
to
as
Chhava,
and
that
is
the
title
of
Producer
Dinesh
Vijan
and
Director
Laxman
Utekar’s
ambitious
film
starring
Vicky
Kaushal
as
Sambhaji.
The
teaser
for
Chhava
shows
Sambhaji
single-handedly
fighting
scores
of
soldiers,
which
wasn’t
unusual
for
the
stocky
and
quick-footed
Maratha
warrior
raised
with
strict
military
discipline
and
necessitated
by
the
mountainous
terrain
of
the
Sahyadris.
Akshaye
Khanna,
who
is
barely
recognisable,
plays
Aurangzeb.
The
Mughal
emperor
thinking
aloud
‘Shiva
gaya
par
uski
soch
zinda
chhod
gaya
(Shivaji
has
gone
but
Sambhaji
will
continue
his
legacy)’
though
cryptic,
doesn’t
leave
us
any
wiser
about
what
the
film
will
be
like.
Personally,
I
don’t
think
Vicky
quite
makes
the
grade
to
play
Sambhaji.
Sambhaji
was
known
to
be
have
a
handsome
face
with
a
sharp
nose
and
a
chiseled
physique.
He
was
known
to
be
a
master
of
swordsmanship,
horsemanship
and
archery
but
was
also
a
scholar
in
Vedic
knowledge
and
knew
as
many
as
eight
languages,
including
Sanskrit
and
Persian.
Still,
we
can’t
wait
to
see
what
Vicky
brings
us.
Chhava
is
set
to
release
on
December
6.
Ishaan
P
Zore,
16,
hopes
for
a
good
history
lesson
this
December.
