‘When Children See I Am Alive, They Hug Me’

‘At
the
airport,
some
people
held
me
like
a
mother
holds
her
child’s
cheeks.
I
have
never
experienced
these
kinds
of
things.’

Chhaava
has


entered
the
Rs
300
Crore
Club,
and
with
that,
has
become
the
first
big
hit
of
2025.

Vineet
Kumar
Singh
plays
the
poet
Kavi
Kalash
in
the
film,
Chhatrapati
Sambhaji
Maharaj’s
loyal
friend,
who
dies
with
him
in
the
end.

The
actor
admits
this
is
a
dream
run
for
him,
and
tells

Subhash
K
Jha,
“People
are
approaching
me
in
a
very
different
way.
They
are
meeting
me
as
if
I
am
have
just
taken
birth
as
an
actor.”

How
has

Chhaava
changed
your
life?

I
have
never
experienced
anything
like
this
even
though
I
have
been
a
part
of
the
Indian
film
industry
for
around
23
years.

Even
when
Anurag
Kashyap’s

Mukkabaaz
came
in
2017,
where
I
played
the
lead,
I
did
not
experience
anything
like
this.

Der
aaye
durust
aaye?

Jee.
I
have
been
working
continuously.
I
have
hardly
had
four
hours
of
sleep
in
the
last
few
days
because
I
was
shooting
day
and
night.

I
was
in
Hyderabad
and
then
after
finishing
the
night
shift,
I
came
to
Mumbai.

I’m
busy
with
things
here
because

The
Superboys
of
Malegaon
is
releasing
on
February
28.

The
shooting
of

Jaat
is
also
going
on.

What
changes
have
you
noticed
since

Chhaava?

People
are
approaching
me
in
a
very
different
way.
They
are
meeting
me
as
if
I
am
have
just
taken
birth
as
an
actor.

I
have
no
words
to
describe
my
feelings.
I
am
yet
to
process
my
feelings.

What
was
your
initial
reaction
when
you
were
offered
the
role
of
Kavi
Kalash?

I
immediately
knew
it
was
very
special.

I
felt
while
reading
the
script
that
yes,
this
film
will
touch
people’s
hearts.

When
I
reached
towards
the
climax,
that
film
had
charged
me
very
emotionally.
The
culmination
of
the
friendship
that
we
get
to
see
in
the
film,
how
Chhatrapati
Sambhaji
Maharaj
and
poet
Kalashji‘s
friendship
reaches
a
different
level…

When,
according
to
you,
did
their
friendship
reach
a
turning
point?

It
was
when
Chhatrapati
Sambhaji
Maharaj
told
my
character
Kalash
that
you
should
immediately
leave
for
Raigadh,
so
that
there
would
be
someone
who
could
protect
the
values
that
Chhatrapati
Shivaji
Maharaj
had
given
of
Hindutva
Swarajya.

But
even
after
getting
that
opportunity,
poet
Kalash
chose
to
stay
with
Maharaj.

He
knew
that
staying
with
Chhatrapati
Sambhaji
means
embracing
death,
what
can
be
more
valuable
than
that
in
the
world?

Tell
us
about
the
stunning
climax
of
the
film.

The
brief
that
Laxman
(Utekar,
Director)
sir
gave
to
us
was
that
a
lot
of
people
must
gather
in
a
small
space,
so
small
weapons
are
used
in
the
beginning.

The
fight
starts
with
small
weapons.

It
is
a
very
close
fight;
in
the
space
where
normally
six
people
can
stand,
there
about
40
people
there.
There
was
no
space
to
breathe.

It
is
an
emotionally-charged
fight.
This
was
a
fight
for
the
honour
and
prestige
of
the
Maratha
Empire
and
our
characters
were
ready
for
whatever
sacrifices
they
have
to
make
in
it.

The
choreography
was
in
keeping
with
the
tense
mood.

Action
Director
Parvez
Shaikh
and
his
team
designed
the
action
similar
to
the
fight
that
happened
in
real
life.

It
started
at
night
when
Aurangzeb’s
army
attacked,
and
went
on
till
morning.
There
were
150
people
here
and
around
5,000
people
came.

The
combat
goes
into
a
very
spiritual
state.
The
fact
that
there
is
a
scene
of
poetry…
it’s
not
just
words,
it’s
coming
from
the
soul.
We
were
shooting
in
a
trance.

Your
character’s
loyalty
is
being
hailed
as
exemplary.

We
had
a
feeling
that
people
will
accept
this
film
but
I
did
not
think
it
would
be
such
a
big
hit.

When
I
visit
theatres,
I
feel
people
have
adopted
me.

When
children
see
that
I
am
alive,
they
come
and
hug
me,
they
cling
to
me.

People
cry
and
hug
me
like
one
of
their
own.

At
the
airport,
some
people
held
me
like
a
mother
holds
her
child’s
cheeks.

I
have
never
experienced
these
kinds
of
things.

I
am
enjoying
it.

It
seems
like
a
dream
because
for
so
many
years,
after
so
many
attempts,
I
felt
now
it
will
happen,
now
it
will
happen…
but
maybe
it
was
written
to
happen
with
this
film.

Will
your
forthcoming
projects
live
up
the
newly-triggered
expectations?

I
understand
expectations
from
me
are
high,
so
I
am
ready
to
accept
this
responsibility.

I
will
experiment
and
challenge
myself
to
do
some
new
things
like
this
historical
film.

I
had
never
done
it
before.
I
didn’t
even
have
a
picture
in
which
I
could
be
seen
in
such
a
getup;
there
was
no
reference
point.

I
am
very
grateful
to
Utekar
sir
and
casting
director
Vaibhav
Vishant
for
selecting
me.
I
am
very
grateful
to
Maddock
Films,
Dinesh
Vijan,
Pooja
Vijan
and
the
entire
team
for
selecting
me.

Laxman
sir
did
not
even
audition
me
for
this.