'Chhaava' director meets Raj Thackeray amid dance sequence controversy

Mumbai: Laxman Utekar, the director of Chhaava met with MNS President Raj Thackeray after his upcoming film on warrior-king Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje Bhonsle, the son of iconic Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj landed in a controversy with people objecting to a dance sequence in the movie.

Besides the political class, the descendants of Shivaji Maharaj have also objected to the Lezim-dance sequence involving Sambhaji Maharaj and Maharani Yesubai and called for its deletion so that history is not distorted.

Chhava in Marathi means Lion’s cub.

The film is based on Chhava, a book written by late novelist Shivaji Sawant.

The Hindi historical biopic action film Chhaava is directed by Laxman Utekar and produced by Dinesh Vijan, the founder of Maddock Films.

The cast includes Vicky Kaushal as Sambhaji Maharaj, Rashmika Mandanna as Maharani Yesubai and Akshaye Khanna as Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

The film is slated to be released on February 14. However, a controversy erupted after the release of the poster.

Shrimant Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosle of Satara, a direct descendent of Shivaji Maharaj and Sambhaji Maharaj, who is the BJP MP and Yuvraj Sambhaji Chhatrapati of Kolhapur, a former President-appointed Rajya Sabha member, objected to the dance sequence.

Shiv Sena leader and state Industries Minister Uday Samant said that the film should be screened for experts before it is released to the public. Samant also asked the producers and directors of Chhaava to act responsibly and warned that the film's release could be "blocked" if any offensive content remains.

"It is a matter of joy that a Hindi film based on the life of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the protector of religion and protector of freedom, is being made. Such efforts are necessary to make the world understand the history of Chhatrapati. However, many have expressed their opinions that there are some objectionable scenes in this film which need to be deleted,” he said.

According to Udayanraje Bhosale, the film should be shown to experts and knowledgeable people first. “The objectionable portions need to be released,” he said.

Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati said: “In the movie Chhaava, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj is seen playing and dancing on the lezim. Lezim is our cultural heritage. Playing lezim is not wrong. But how appropriate is it to dance to that song? Should this be taken in cinematic liberty? This needs to be discussed.”