Chhaava - "Everybody!...chhaava, chhaava, massacre"

 

Chhaava

Hindi, 2025

Genre: Historic Fiction

Director: Laxman Utekar

Stars: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Rashmika Mandanna, Pradeep Rawat, Diana Penty

Where to watch: Local theaters

Mohan's Measure ⭐⭐

In a telling closing scene, the vicious emperor Aurangazeb asks his victim, who is already close to death, to join his side and convert  to the faith so that he can live and be happy.  In retort, the victim, Chatrapathi Sambhaji, soaked in his own blood, chained to posts, looking very much like he just left the stage of the Passion play, replies that it is the emperor who should switch sides, if only because it would not require his conversion.  It is dialogs like this that fuzzies the fine line between historic fiction and propaganda, making it very difficult for us, as an audience, to fully engage ourselves in the story.

It should be noted that this this film is not based completely on fact but on a historic fiction novel written by Shivaji Sawant.  One questions however, how much of the novel is actually included in the movie, because the overwhelming portion of the latter is little more than brutal killing and primal screams.  There is little room for acting and character development, hence there is hardly a need for good actors.  

While Vicky Kaushal does successfully catch our attention with his six-pack body drenched in blood, his presence on the film is little more than mechanical.  And what else can we expect from Rashmika except simply mouthing dialogs for her 15 minutes of screen time? As for Mr. Khanna, the otherwise talented actor simply presents himself as an old man, little can be seen of the true villainous megalomaniac he is supposed to be.  One wonders, however, how it is possible for a man of the age he is playing to choke his enemy using little more than a scarf?

While audiences have said they have walked out in tears, I only choked up from munching on too much popcorn.