After
a
character
and
film
like
this,
at
least
for
a
while,
everything
else
Vicky
Kaushal
does
will
look
bland,
asserts
Deepa
Gahlot.
The
son
of
a
towering
figure
like
Chhatrapati
Shivaji
Maharaj
would
need
to
do
a
lot
more
to
prove
his
credentials
as
a
worthy
successor.
Sambhaji
was
a
fearless
warrior,
and
a
constant
thorn
in
Aurangzeb’s
side.
Sadly,
his
brief
nine
year
reign
was
not
quite
enough
for
him
to
acquire
the
kind
of
mythic
status
that
matches
that
of
his
father.
Now
that
lesser
known
or
forgotten
heroes
of
history
are
being
pulled
out
of
dusty
trunks
by
cinema
and
OTT,
a
biopic
on
Chhatrapati
Sambhaji
was
inevitable.
There
have
been
films
made
on
him
before,
even
in
the
early
days
of
silent
cinema,
but
not
one
as
grand
as
this.
It
is
also
a
mark
of
the
times
that
it
is
impossible
to
make
an
honest
biopic
—
any
fact
that
is
perceived
as
a
slight
by
some
militant
fringe,
and
violence
can
be
unleashed.
So
Laxman
Utekar’s
Chhaava,
based
on
the
book
by
Shivaji
Sawant,
focuses
almost
entirely
on
his
impressive
martial
exploits,
as
if
any
attempt
to
humanise
him
or
see
his
softer
side
would
somehow
diminish
his
heroism.
Sambhaji
was
a
scholar,
writer,
linguist
(he
is
heard
speaking
English
in
a
brief
scene)
and
very
able
administrator
too.
Leaving
out
his
somewhat
controversial
youth,
the
film
begins
with
Aurangzeb
(Akshaye
Khanna)
and
the
Mughals
relieved
at
the
news
of
Chhatrapati
Shivaji
Maharaj’s
death.
Certain
that
the
Maratha
empire
would
now
be
left
vulnerable,
they
are
taken
by
surprise
by
the
attack
on
Burhanpur,
by
Sambhaji;s
(Vicky
Kaushal)
army,
and
the
complete
sacking
and
burning
of
the
important
Mughal
outpost.
Without
wasting
much
time,
Utekar
starts
the
Bollywood-isation
of
Sambhaji.
He
jumps
with
his
horse
over
a
long
barricade,
and
leaves
the
Mughal
army
in
tatters,
but
not
before
being
dropped
into
a
dungeon
where
he
battles
a
lion.
The
valiant
Chhatrapati
Sambhaji
Maharaj
rises
to
claim
the
throne,
even
as
his
stepmother
Soyarabai
(Divya
Dutta)
dreams
of
the
coronation
of
her
son
Rajaram.
Like
his
father,
Sambhaji
hopes
to
achieve
swaraj
from
Mughal
rule,
for
which
he
spends
a
large
part
of
his
reign
on
the
battlefield,
with
the
support
of
his
band
of
loyalists,
that
include
the
bard,
Kavi
Kalash
(Vineet
Kumar
Singh),
who
remained
with
him
till
both
were
put
to
death.
Chhatrapati
Sambhaji’s
exploits
force
Aurangzeb
to
take
off
his
crown
and
swear
to
wear
it
only
when
his
foe
is
defeated.
Using
his
father’s
tactics
of
guerilla
warfare,
the
young
king
fights
the
far
superior
Mughal
army
wearing
disguises
and
planning
surprise
attacks.
He
leads
from
the
front
and
inspires
his
men.
The
battle
sequences
are
among
the
most
detailed
and
spectacular
(cinematographer
Saurabh
Goswami’s
work
is
outstanding)
ever
seen
in
Hindi
cinema
(with
a
few
nods
to
Hollywood
films
like
300
and
the
ever
popular
show
Game
Of
Thrones).
The
makers
are
aware
that
hardly
anyone
remembers
their
school
text
books
or
reads
history,
so
who
will
question
accuracy?
But
does
a
real
hero
need
constant
bombastic
lines
spoken
by
and
to
him;
so
much
so
that
his
wife
(Rashmika
Mandanna)
also
talks
more
like
a
follower
than
a
woman
worried
about
her
husband’s
wellbeing.
When
Sambhaji
is
captured
after
being
betrayed
by
two
of
his
own
men,
Aurangzeb,
goaded
by
his
daughter
Zinat-ul-Nissa
(Diana
Penty),
unleashes
the
most
horrific
torture
on
him.
In
scenes
reminiscent
of
The
Passion
Of
The
Christ,
Utekar
does
not
spare
any
wound,
any
bloodletting,
gouging
of
eyes,
still,
the
chained
Chhatrapati
is
still
able
to
reply
in
brave
words
to
Aurangzeb’s
taunts,
till
his
tongue
is
ripped
off.
By
the
time
the
film
reaches
the
point
of
this
tragedy,
it
has
already
exhausted
the
viewer
with
the
relentless
violence.
The
other
characters
are
given
about
as
much
importance
as
the
pillars
in
the
palace.
Akshaye
Khanna,
face
buried
with
prosthetics
so
that
he
is
forced
to
mumble
his
dialogue,
still
conveys
malevolence
through
his
eye
—
looking
almost
mummified
by
his
own
hate
over
the
years,
till
he
is
able
to
destroy
his
enemy.
Vicky
Kaushal
has
the
physical
stature
and
the
talent
to
make
a
terrific
Chhatrapati,
balancing
the
warrior
rage
with
a
regal
dignity
when
he
is
in
normal
mode.
After
a
character
and
film
like
this,
at
least
for
a
while,
everything
else
he
does
will
look
bland.
Chhaava
Review
Rediff
Rating:
