Chhaava Review: Vicky Kaushal Anchors a Handsomely Mounted, Uneven Epic

Maddock Films, a studio better known for horror-comedies, takes a considerable swing with Chhaava — a historical action drama centred on Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the second ruler of the Maratha Empire and son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Directed by Laxman Utekar and adapted from Shivaji Sawant's novel Chhava, the film focuses on Sambhaji's resistance against the Mughal empire under Aurangzeb rather than attempting a cradle-to-grave biography, which turns out to be a smart narrowing of scope even when the screenplay around it wobbles.

Story Premise

Picking up after the death of Shivaji Maharaj, the film follows Sambhaji as he takes on the mantle of protecting the fledgling Maratha kingdom from Aurangzeb's forces. Rather than covering his entire reign, the narrative concentrates on the escalating conflict that defines his final years, building toward the events for which he is most remembered. It is less an exhaustive biopic than a study of a single, consequential standoff.

Screenplay & Direction

Utekar handles scale confidently — this is a film that clearly had the resources to build out its battle sequences and palace interiors, and it uses them. Where the screenplay is shakier is in its supporting-character work and its handling of court politics, which occasionally flattens into broad strokes where more nuance was available in the history itself. The film has also drawn public debate over how it dramatises certain historical episodes, which is worth knowing going in — viewers interested in the underlying history may want to cross-reference the film's dramatisation against historical accounts rather than treating it as a documentary record.

Performances

Vicky Kaushal is the film's clearest asset. He commits fully to Sambhaji's physicality and his more introspective moments alike, and the film is at its strongest in scenes that simply let him carry the emotional weight of the story. Akshaye Khanna, as Aurangzeb, makes an impression with a role that is dialogue-light but effectively used — restraint rather than scenery-chewing is the choice, and it works. Rashmika Mandanna, as Sambhaji's wife Yesubai, is fine within a role that gives her less to do dramatically than her co-stars; it's a part defined more by devotion than agency. Ashutosh Rana and Vineet Kumar Singh both register well in supporting roles.

Action & Scale

The battle sequences are the film's showcase, staged with a scale that justifies a big-screen viewing, and the production design and costuming throughout are detailed enough to sell the period setting. Some of the action choreography leans into heightened, near-mythic staging rather than grounded realism, which will work better for viewers who enjoy that register of historical spectacle than for those wanting stricter naturalism.

Music & Background Score

A. R. Rahman's score is a mixed bag by his own high standards — a couple of pieces land with real weight in the film's more solemn passages, but the soundtrack as a whole doesn't rank among his most memorable historical-drama work. The background score does more of the emotional heavy lifting during the battle sequences than the songs do.

Cinematography & Technical Craft

Saurabh Goswami's cinematography makes good use of natural light and open terrain in the battle sequences, and the film's visual effects work — while not flawless — mostly holds up in service of the period setting. Editing occasionally struggles with pacing in the middle stretch, where court-politics scenes slow momentum between the more kinetic sequences.

What Works

• Vicky Kaushal's performance, which anchors the film through its more uneven writing stretches.
• Scale and production design that make the historical setting feel genuinely mounted, not budget-constrained.
• Akshaye Khanna's restrained, effective take on Aurangzeb.

What Could Have Been Better

• Supporting characters and court politics are written in broader strokes than the central conflict.
• Pacing sags in the middle act between major set pieces.
• Viewers invested in historical accuracy should treat the film as dramatisation, not documentary.

Who May Enjoy It

Chhaava is built for viewers who enjoy large-scale historical drama and are comfortable with a heightened, mythic register rather than strict historical realism. Fans of Vicky Kaushal's more intense dramatic work will find this among his more physically demanding performances.

Frequently Asked Questions