If I want to capture my true emotions, what I felt in the theatres while watching Chhaava, I will have to emphasise it with an African quote. “Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter”. Unfortunately, be it the NCERT or through Cinema, the leftist historians always painted Islamic tyrants as victors, we were made to mug up the lineage of Mughals while our Legendary heroes were presented as ‘Mountain rats’, why? Because the Lions lacked their own historians, But not anyone. Chhaava, as the name suggests, is the typical Bollywood representation of the true and heroic story of a Lion’s Cub with Chhatrapati Shivaji Raje being the Lion whose roar was missing from the Bollywood canvas up until now.
Now, the Lions’ cub, Chhaava is in no mood to spare the old Bollywood propaganda films like Jodha Akbar, Mughal-e-Azam. Chhaava is a must watch film as it attempts to correct our shared History, especially for its last 20 minutes that are graphic, visually stunning and heart wrenching to the core. It displays why the Mughal tyrants should never be lionised, praised and that they were never Great, these savages were never a match to our legendary Hindu warriors and whenever they briefly tasted success, it was always because of “betrayal”, or because of Hindu vikriti of tolerance of the intolerant and forgiveness. And the film nicely delves on all of these aspects.
Now, I have to admit that the film has its hits and misses, especially when it had all the right ingredients to make Chhaava roar big at the box office. Let me begin with by offending fragile egos and be as direct as I can be, Allahrakka Rahman aka AR Rehman has played a spoilsport here and delivered an underwhelming performance. Instead of roaring, the BGM is among the film’s weak links.
The film’s music is underwhelming. The background score fails to leave a lasting impact, and the songs are mediocre at best. Some musical interludes in the middle of the film feel disruptive and harsh on the ears rather than enhancing the storytelling.
Even the direction of the movie is fairly average. While certain scenes, such as the final conversation between Kavi Kalash and Sambhaji Maharaj, are executed brilliantly, overall, director Laxman Utekar fails to deliver an exceptional cinematic experience. The plot lacks surprises, as many key events are revealed in conversations before they unfold on screen, making the film predictable. Additionally, the pacing slows down significantly in the middle, which may feel tedious for the average viewer.
While I will highlight the positives later, there are a few drawbacks in the film’s dialogue delivery as well. The dialogues lack a strong Marathi touch, with the accent failing to resonate authentically. Additionally, the overuse of Urdu words in Sambhaji Maharaj’s dialogues seems misplaced, given that the film revolves around the idea of Hindavi Swaraj. Greater emphasis on Hindi words would have been more appropriate in line with the film’s theme.
While these flaws hamper overall viewing, all of them take a back seat as the film is a must watch for its positive aspects.
The action sequences are among the strongest aspects of the movie. Every battle scene is well-choreographed, intense, and visually captivating. The action meets audience expectations and consistently raises the stakes throughout the film.
The performances in the movie are commendable. Vicky Kaushal has delivered a strong portrayal of Sambhaji Maharaj, but given his caliber as an actor, he could have brought even more intensity to the role. Rashmika Mandanna and Diana Penty have given average performances, while Ashutosh Rana and Divya Dutta have made a strong impact in their brief roles.
Among a stellar starcast, the standout performance comes from Vineet Singh, who is playing the role of Kavi Kalash. A phenomenal actor, Vineet once again proves his mastery over his craft. His dialogue delivery and emotional depth elevate the film, particularly in his final conversation with Sambhaji Maharaj, which is deeply moving and brings tears to the audience’s eyes.
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The poetry narrated by Kavi Kalash is particularly outstanding. The final exchange between Sambhaji Maharaj and Kavi Kalash is a poetic masterpiece, adding immense emotional depth to the film.
Overall the movie comes out as a right attempt to give space to our Lions’. While the film is not a masterpiece and it misses to add cinematic brilliance at several places, Chhaava is a must watch for its intent, intent to correct history, intent to Lionise our true warriors and mind you, they are not the Mughals. Chhaava should serve as the template from where filmmakers should start from, BETTER IT and ensure that Hindu warriors, or Lions as the right word to put it, have their own Historians and filmmakers to write the correct History of Bharatvarsh. If you are not caught up in work, watch it with your kids and let them be inspired to become Chhaavas — the very warriors whom Mallechs feared from.
