Vicky Kaushal and Rashmika Mandanna's highly anticipated historical drama Chhaava is just hours away from hitting the big screen. Chhaava, based on Maratha King Sambhaji Maharaj's life, is a film adaptation of a Marathi novel by the same name. 

Kaushal plays the titular role in the film, which aims to highlight the valour of the Maratha King that many are unaware of. Most outside of Maharashtra are aware of the brave Maratha King Shivaji Maharaj. However, not much is known about the Maratha empire after Shivaji's death. 

While speaking to India Today, filmmaker Laxman Utekar said that he read about Sambhaji Maharaja during the COVID-19 pandemic. His story inspired Utekar to make a film about him. 

“Everyone knows about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, but no one knows about Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. He had such great courage and was a great warrior, but sadly, no one knows about it. During the pandemic [COVID-19], when I read about Sambhaji Maharaj, I realised he is such a big character, and why are we not talking about his life? That’s when I started writing and the idea of Chhaava came to me.”

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Who is Sambhaji Maharaj?

Sambhaji Maharaj was Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharj's oldest son. Shivaji, as many know, was the founder of the Maratha kingdom. Sambhaji served as the second ruler of the Maratha kingdom after his father's death and served as the king for nine years before he was executed. In Maharashtra, he is still remembered for his valour and patriotism. 

Sambhaji Maharaj served as the Maratha King from 1681 to 1689. His reign was dominated by wars between the Marathas and the Mughal Empire, the Siddi of Janjira battles with the Wadiyars of Mysore, and the Portuguese Empire.

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One of the major military campaigns that Sambhaji Maharaj launched was the attack on Burhanpur, an important Mughal city in present-day Madhya Pradesh and a trading centre. 

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The conquest of Burhanpur was important for the Maratha Empire as it stopped Aurangzeb from expanding his footprint in the Deccan.

Multiple battles took place between the Marathas and the Mughals from 1682 and 1688. While the Mughals wanted control over forts held by Marathas, they were not successful, thanks to Sambhaji's army.

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Two years after he came to power, Sambhaji executed about 24 members of influential families after he discovered that certain people were plotting his assassination. But by 1685, Mughals had pushed back Sambhaji and had taken over his strongholds. Three years later, they captured and executed him.

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Sambhaji Maharaj's execution

The Maratha King was captured in February 1689 by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Since Sambhaji was a brave warrior, it wasn't easy to capture him, and so Aurangzeb allegedly captured him by deception and tortured him in captivity until his death. 

Due to his bravery, Sambhaji won a place of honour in everyone’s hearts for defending three of his most prized possessions: Deva, Desh, and Dharma, until death. People of Maharashtra consider him as a hero and respect his refusal to succumb to Aurangzeb’s methods, preferring to die over compromising the cause he believed in. Sambhaji was executed on March 11, 1689. 

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Chhaava also features Ashutosh Rana, Divya Dutta, and Diana Penty in important roles. Directed by Laxman Utekar, the film has been produced under Dinesh Vijan’s production banner, Maddock Films. It releases in theatres on February 14.