Chhaava Leaves You Wanting More

The recent Hindi film Chhaava, based on the life of Shambhaji Maharaj, is a compelling watch, yet it leaves you yearning for more. A sequel could complete the grand saga of Swarajya and the fall of the Mughal Empire. Explore more about the film in this review.

The first thing that comes to mind after seeing a film like Chhaava is how regrettably we have allowed the heroes from our own history to be forgotten so easily. Or, even when they have been remembered, the efforts have remained localized and a pan-India commemoration could not materialize.

People continue to be uninformed of several significant chapters of history for ages, even now after 77 years of the country’s independence, which further leaves them in an ungrateful state for what they have today in a democratic set up; and in a blissful ignorance – even if due to a huge gap in knowing the country’s history – to these warriors and saviors who took upon themselves the arduous task to protect the honor and freedom of people at large and bear the extreme tortures heaped on them by the cruel invaders who became foreign rulers of this land with help by locally recruited manpower and disloyals among our very own.

The rivalries among the ruling clans and chieftains have kept producing Jaichands in the Indian ruling houses, who ensured that even the most spirited and valiant of them, like Shambhaji, fell due to the deceit of those insiders who mortgaged their conscience to invaders for petty gains.

Though this Hindi biopic on the life of Shambhaji is out in theatres and as we know has been lapped up by cine goers, more so perhaps by people in Maharashtra who relate to the role of the Chhatrapati Shivaji’s entire clan in fighting for Swarajya, including this equally motivated second generation warrior who sacrificed his life at a bare 32 years, there is the remainder of the Maratha crusade against Aurangzeb left to be narrated in a popular medium like a pan India film.

This remains the situation in spite of three earlier films all made on Shambhaji in the last 100 years but made in Marathi, thereby limiting the scope and reach of these films, the first one a film of the silent era having been made in 1925. The second was made in 1934 and the last only in as late as 2024.

But taking perhaps a cue, youtubers are filling in that gap right now with their stories about how Aurangzeb and his forces had to face the challenge in the next two decades after Shambhaji was gone, in the immediate context of interest generated by Shambhaji’s story which ends with his death following some brutally indescribable torture at the hands of Aurangzeb’s regime in his and his daughter’s presence. That’s an effort worth noticing bit one hopes the same filmmakers also see their task cut in making a sequel from where Shambhaji left but the resistance continued.

The film, as many reviews have given away by now, is based on a novel written by Shivaji Sawant and is directed by Laxman Utekar. Shot on a massive set in filmcity Mumbai to recreate a Burhanpur like town, which was the very first Aurangzeb’s administrsyive city attacked by Shambhaji, and other locations like Dhom Dam, Raigadh Fort and more, the film attempts quite fairly to look as an authentic historical set in 1680s.

All departments do well as usual CGI and Hollywood action styles have been used to enhance the appeal of action and overall cinematography. Actors are all upto mark, while the lyrics attributed to Kavi Kalash and Shambhaji recited by them as a duet or sawal-jawab while in the last hours of their captivity are just electrifying and background score matches up with action which is seen most of the time. But one must say, the intimate scenes between Vicky and Rashmika are shot with intensity and immense effect even as the lady here impresses with her hugely expressive eyes!

What one misses in the film is its playout without an accompanying time trail and locational detail in a chronological fashion. Even characters needed to be introduced by some filming device before the story opens, as people in general more so the gen Z or even millennials do not even know their basic relationships and camps they belonged to in the whole scheme of things at the royal courts of the time.

This being a historical film, these details would have enabled the spectators to comprehend the story and the actual history in a much better relatable manner.

The film of course and undoubtedly remains a hugely watchable work for a broad approach to Shambhaji’s guerrilla style fights and eventual sacrifice with most of his loyalists.