Chhaava
2025 · Directed by Laxman Utekar
Original language: Hindi
- history
- action
- drama
The story
Shivaji's death sparks the Maratha-Mughal conflict. His son Sambhaji leads resistance against Aurangzeb's forces. Amid battles and intrigue, both sides face challenges in a struggle for power.
What it’s like
Sweeping, dust-coloured landscapes and fortress silhouettes against enormous skies give way to torchlit courtyards, smoky tents and candle-dim palace interiors, with warm ochre and saffron tones set against cold steel blues in the war scenes. Camera moves are big and deliberate: wide establishing shots of armies crossing plains, slow pushes into faces during councils, and kinetic, close-cut battle choreography. The score is loud and percussive, built on drums, horns and chanting, with quieter strings for the intimate moments. Pacing is long and epic, with stretches of political tension between the bigger set pieces. The emotional register is heroic and mournful, following a dutiful son caught between loyalty, pride and the weight of inheritance, while his rival's ambition hardens around him. Intensity is high: sustained battle violence, bloodshed and graphic cruelty, including prolonged torture scenes that linger. This is not a gentle watch. It suits viewers drawn to large-scale period spectacle and to historical drama with a strong sense of national memory, who can handle sustained brutality.
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