Based on the Marathi novel titled ‘Chhava’ by Shivaji Sawant, Chhaava essentially focuses on a brief but important chapter in the life of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj following the timelines involving his establishment as the new ruler of the Maratha Kingdom to his guerilla warfare with the Mughals and eventually his capture and death. Historical biopics become a little tricky given the subjective perception of History, but the writers do well to not just reduce it to a lesson from the history textbook. In fact, the very presentation of the protagonist is larger than life, right from his ruthless and aggressive skirmishes involving the Mughals and a brief face-off with a lion, to being a duty-bound lover to his dedicated wife Yesubai Bhonsale (Rashmika Mandanna) while spending the remainder of his time in protecting his ‘Swaraj’. That said, the brief issue that I had in the first hour was its inconsistent tone that doubled up as a start-stop kind of a world-building affair.

The tonal inconsistencies in the first hour lay with the fact that the writing felt a little one-dimensional with its approach. For instance, during the initial combat while establishing the two principal characters, the makers exactly new the pitch of the drama, often going an extra mile to allow the viewers to feel the aggression. But in portions involving internal scheming tactics in the kingdom of the protagonist, the approach felt a little lost. So when there is a set up of an internal conflict brewing with Soyrabai (Divya Dutta), shown to be scheming against her own step-son, the conflict doesn’t necessarily add a layer of complexity. This is because, the revelation of the conflict is presented ‘directly’ to the protagonist through a third character, that never really allows the mind games to be built on. The resolution is also straight-forward almost with an intention to move to the more exciting part in the drama, that awaits its viewers.

Also, a lesser issue in this drama remains the lack of characterization with respect to some of the other characters around the two principal characters. The impact of this is that the emotions do not quite trascend through to the viewers at crucial points in the drama. Yet, the first hour does have some interesting moments that ensure that the drama remains watchable, be it the minor tiff between the protagonist and his uncles that has a major implication later on in the film (this ain’t a spoiler if you are aware about the history), or the dynamics of the protagonist within his group whilst having the will-power to take on an army that is extensibly larger in number. The counter-punch also that transpires highlighting the cruel trait of the antagonist at the end of the first half, are few high moments that setup things for a promising second hour.

The makers literally go on an all out onslaught in the second hour while hustling from one skirmish to another, in a matter of minutes. Suddenly, you notice the urgency in the drama creeping in to the point wherein there is a rhythmic beat to the proceedings. The adrenaline pumping action set-pieces are high on energy with the protagonist and his army literally putting up a show, even as the writers choose to highlight the valour and courage of the characters concerned. You may argue that the writing is one-dimensional but the presentation heightens the drama even as you witness the protagonist going on an all out rampage. In a scene, you see him circling in a rhythmic beat (against a blaring BGM) while slicing and cutting his enemies, or smashing them with an elongated wooden plank.

Here, I must also applaud the writing for sticking to the historical facts and not getting carried away with an alternate history as seen in the horrendous film Samrat Prithviraj (2022). So, the face-off here is of a very different kind. And this makes the final 30 minutes painful to watch even as the protagonist is subjected to torture of unbearable levels. In the midst of these scenes, the writers interject a beautiful scene involving the protagonist and Kavi Kalash (Vineet Kumar Singh), even as the duo share a bout of poetry for the last time, something that acts as a heartwrenching call back too. Even the frequently oscillating scenes between the scenes of torture and the scenes involving Yesubai are brimming with emotions, while depicting contrasting frames of valour and sacrifice (interestingly, both are interchangeable here with respect to the two characters). The stakes in the drama are slowly but surely raised, leading up to a moving finale that ensures that the emotions are at their peak by the end of it. The screenplay here, although one-dimensional in parts, does hit the right notes with the underlying nature of the emotions and the raw energy that the characters bring to the table.