Chhaava

Chhaava Movie Review Rating:

Star Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Rashmika Mandanna, Akshaye Khanna, Ashutosh Rana, Vineet Kumar Singh, Diana Penty

Director: Laxman Utekar

What’s Good: Vicky Kaushal’s magnanimous performance, dialogues that promise to give you literal goosebumps, background score, battle sequences, costumes, makeup, and production design, and cinematography fulfill its core message to deliver a befitting tribute to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.

What’s Bad: Akshaye Khanna and Rashmika Mandanna though put a considerable amount of effort into their performance; their characters lack the required aura to match with Vicky’s magnanimity, court conspiracy scenes could have been etched out in a better way, performances of the Mughal ministers almost becomes stereotypical

Loo Break: This one is too engaging to take a loo break during the film. Better opt for the interval for that.

Watch or Not?: You definitely cannot miss this one on the big screens. It’s an even bigger treat for all the Vicky Kaushal fans out there.

Language: Hindi

Available On: Theatrical release

Runtime: 161 minutes

User Rating:

A scene in Chhaava has Vicky Kaushal as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj saying, ‘Kabhi Sher Ke Chhaava Ko Kutton Ke Pilon Se Bhaagte Huye Dekha Hain?” This more or less sums up the valor, courage, and ferocity of the brave Maratha warrior. The film narrates the story of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s son Sambhaji, who carried the same dream of Swaraj, which his father lived and died for. The movie manages to deliver this core message flawlessly, instilling a sense of patriotism and marvel for the Maratha king.

The plot begins with the demise of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, which makes the Mughals believe that the Maratha empire is now powerless and they can now rule the entire Deccan. However, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj (Vicky Kaushal) stands like a shield to foil this plan by emerging as the most fierce foe of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (Akshaye Khanna). However, not only Aurangzeb but Sambhaji also has to battle court politics, betrayals and treacheries in his path to attain Swarajya.

Chhaava Movie Review: Script Analysis

The screenplay of the movie does not meander into any irrelevant subplots or any melodrama, staying true to its message. The dialogue, especially in the climax, not only gives you goosebumps but also makes you cheer out loud. Be it Sambhaji telling Aurangzeb with a grin, ‘Hum Maratho Ki Taraf Aa Jao, Zindagi Badal Jayegi Aur Dharm Bhi Badalna Nahi Padega’ or Vineet Kumar Singh’s Kavi Kalash giving it back to the Mughals by saying, ‘Mera Ghosht Apne Kutton Ko Zaroor Khilana Taaki Unko Wafadari Seekhne Ko Mile.’ There is a prime focus on the war and political strategies that the Maratha warrior designed to foil the plan of the Mughals. A sequence of Sambhaji and his forces attacking the Mughal army by blending in with the nature and utilizing their knowledge of the Maratha empire to the fullest is shown intensely and strikes a huge chord.

However, the portrayal of the Mughal ministers tends to become stereotypical sometimes. A little more focus on the writing when it comes to the court politics sequences would’ve fleshed out the essence of the film since it was also highlighted as one of the roadblocks to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj’s path. However, these minor flaws are compensated with strong performances and the technical aspects hitting the right chords.

Chhaava Movie Review: Star Performance

Just when you thought that after Sam Bahadur, Vicky Kaushal couldn’t do more justice to a biopic, here comes Chhaava. The actor is sheer perfection in his portrayal of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. The sense of courage, valor, patriotism, ferocity and sacrifice is beautifully etched out in his performance. Apart from the battle sequences and the emotionally high-octane sequences, watch out for the monologue wherein his character instills the determination and strength in his comrades. Vicky’s act in the torture sequence in the climax is definitely not for the faint-hearted. It can be safely said that he is the soul of this movie.

Akshaye Khanna and Rashmika Mandanna give their all to the performance, but somehow, their aura fails to match to that of Vicky’s. You don’t get to experience that evilness in Khanna’s performance of Aurangzeb, and there’s this void in Rashmika and Vicky’s chemistry. However, Khanna manages to shine in the final scenes, wherein we see the fine balance between his cruelty but also an admiration for his arch-nemesis. Similarly, Mandanna’s performance shines more in the second half as she emerges as one of the strongest support systems for her husband. Vineet Kumar Singh delivers a strong performance amongst the supporting star cast and has got one of the most badass dialogues in the movie. Ashutosh Rana is astounding and fierce in his brief performance as Sarsenapati Hambirao Mohite. Diana Penty is heavily underutilized. A monotone dialogue delivery and blank stares make her performance extremely one-dimensional.