Chhaava review: At one point in Chhaava, Vicky Kaushalas Chhatrapati Sambhaji, seems completely possessed, consumed by his feverish fervour towards Swaraj. He single-handedly keeps fighting the enemy even as his men have fallen down, and the film finally comes alive. Unfortunately, the path to this high point is an uneven one, with your patience tested. (Also read: Chhaava Advance Booking Report: Vicky Kaushal, Rashmika Mandanna Film Collections ₹6.7 crore; outpaces Deva, Emergency)
About Chhaava
Directed by Laxman Utekar, it revolves around the second Chhatrapati of the Maratha empire, Sambhaji Maharaj, played by Vicky. He is pushing back as Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb (Akshaye khanna) is expanding his territory. Their conflict reaches a crescendo as Aurangzeb takes a vow to only wear his crown once Sambhaji is defeated. ‘Apne poore khandaan ki laash par khade hokar humne yeh taaj pehna tha’ (I wore this crown standing on the bodies of my whole family) he says. Watch the film for the rest of the story.
Laxman’s material is based on the novel Chhaavaauthored by Shivaji Sawant. Right off the bat, there is a curious issue with the film: there are war cries, the scale, the ambition- every box on the war drama checklist is ticked off. The makers leave no stone unturned to make the frames as grand as they can. The authenticity of props is on point too.
What works and what doesn’t
What’s missing throughout the first half is the connection. The epic scale fills up the frame, but you feel nothing. Vicky bursts onto the scene as the invincible Sambhaji and makes sure to rescue a child in the middle of a battle. Yet you wait for the emotions to hit you. The film takes its time to get to the point: the conflict. The action sequences get a bit much, bordering on boredom.
The performances, happy to say, steer Chhaava in the right direction. Akshaye, as Aurangzeb, is menacing, and it’s only upon his arrival that things get interesting.
Have no doubt, Vicky has also truly submitted himself, stepping into Sambhaji’s shoes. From his walk to his larger-than-life aggression, he is convincing. The impressive bits are reserved for the spellbinding last hour. Vicky is flawless, especially in his confrontation with Akshaye.
Akshaye holds immense power on screen, with his eyes doing the talking. His bruised ego, as Sambhaji refuses to give in, is writ large on his face, which is aged wonderfully with prosthetics by DA Makeup Lab.
While the women play a pivotal role in Chhaava, their screen time is limited. Rashmika Mandanna, as Yesubai, emotes well when needed, but her accent is a hit-and-miss. Diana Penty as Zeenat needed a bit more menace. Divya Datta’s Soyrabai gets a meaty role in terms of quality, but she has very low on-screen time. Her negative turn could have done much more.
This film needed to cut down on elongated fights, and focus more on the tension that fills a room as two characters are merely talking. Chhaava had a chance to be a clutter breaker- by not being a film where war cries were needed every five minutes. It fails to rise above that.
Viineet Kumar Singh makes the most of what he gets, as Kavi Kalash. Irshad Kamil, co credited for the dialogues, is definitely the man behind his beautiful poems. The music by AR Rahman doesn’t stand out; the background score does.
To sum it up
Overall, Chhaava could have been a powerful tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of Sambhaji. What stands between it and that goal, is bad editing and the excessive superherofication of the Maratha ruler. It’s only in the moments where we see him humanised, where the film connects. The irony.
