‘Chhaava’ adapted from Shivaji Sawant’s book titled the same that is about the reign of Sambhaji Maharaj at the age of 20 when he became the Chhatrapathi. The trailer of the exciting periodic film dropped on 22 January 2025 which has now stirred a controversy revolving around a dance sequence that had Sambhaji Maharaj and his wife Maharani Yesubai.
Chhaava Dance Controversy
The dance is a traditional Marathi Folk dance called Lezim which is now removed after the crew faced backlash for being ‘Historically Inaccurate’ pointed out by MNS Chief Raj Thackery.
“I have met Raj Thackeray. He is an avid reader and studious person. So I have taken some suggestions and guidance from him. And I can say, his words are very helpful for me. And after meeting him, I have decided to delete those scenes where we have shown Sambhaji Maharaj was playing the Lezim dance,” director Laxman Utekar said, as reported by India Today.
The under duress sequence where a happy Sambhaji Maharaj breaks out to dance Lezim with Maharani Yesubai will be deleted as per the announcement by the crew who stated that, “Lezim dance is not a big deal. Sambhaji Maharaj is very much bigger than that Lezim dance. So we are going to remove those scenes from the film.” Although the periodic film genre is a reflection of the grandeur and valor of the then kings and queens, a little bit of creative freedom has been followed in the past while portraying a historical figure. While factual accuracy and execution is also important the debate raises the question of the liberty of a filmmaker to make the movie as his own.
Adharmiyon ke liye agni tha woh
— Maddockfilms (@MaddockFilms) January 27, 2025
Apnon ke liye paani
Dushmano ke liye toofan tha woh
Dharti ka yoddha tha woh
Shiva ka CHHAAVA hai woh!#ChhaavaTrailer #ChhaavaTrailerOutNow
🔗 – https://t.co/Vs9D5Y0Rre
Releasing in cinemas on 14th February.#ChhaavaOn14Feb pic.twitter.com/4R2F5gISFY
The Maharashtra government including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis commented on the portrayal of Sambhaji Maharaj saying, “Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj’s history should be shown correctly, it is not right to distort history. Everyone has a lot of love and respect for Sambhaji Maharaj. This respect and honour should not be hurt. There should be creativity but we believe that there should be sensitivity along with it.”
Many periodic films have been put to debate and controversies that are religiously or culturally inaccurate, ‘Chhava’ faced the restrictions of not releasing in the Maharashtra screens if not removing the Lezim dance sequence. Amidst the controversy, Maddock Films have made sure that the film is releasing as planned on 14 February.
Chhaava Cast and Crew
Vicky Kaushal
Rashmika Mandanna
Akshaye Khanna
Ashutosh Rana
Diana Penty
Divya Dutta
Vineeth Kumar Singh
Santosh Juvekar
Laxman Utekar – Director
Dinesh Vijayan – Producer
A.R. Rahman – Music Director
Rishi Virmani – Dialogue
Manish Pradhan
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