Chhaava movie review: Vicky Kaushal-starrer lacks a filmmaker's touch

Director Laxman UtekarActors Vicky Kaushal Rashmika Mandanna Akshaye KhannaRating 2 starsThe first time you watch Aurangzeb in this movie especially among badly dressed buffoons for his minions in the Mughal Empiremdashat least I was quite struck by Akshaye Khanna under so much prosthetic makeupTo the point that I thought they couldrsquove cast anyone in that role How would we even observe his actual expressions a bit like Naseeruddin Shah as Gandhi in Hey Ram if you mayOnly that once you watch this old man with MF Hussainrsquos flowing silver hair and beard sunken cheeks slight bobbing of the head walking with a minor hunch yet a regal gait gently murmuring rather than looking menacing like a typical villainhellipYou realise Khanna is easily one of the few great things about this film He deserved more scenes beyond expressing the same sentiment over and over againMainly because he serves as a quiet counterbalance to whatrsquos otherwise such an overloud overlong overbearing drama Wherein practically all the characters lead included seem to be on an overdrive perennially going overboard You stop caring for whatrsquos beneath it all after some timeAt the centre of course is Chhaava literally lionrsquos cub which is the nickname for Chhatrapati Sambhaji whorsquos otherwise best known as the son of the great Maratha Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj A Russian academic recently described the latter to me as Maharashtrarsquos Alexander indeed Indiarsquos why notLay audiences on the other hand I suspect may not know as much about the escapades of Sambhaji Chhaava is both a period actioner and a historical drama Itrsquos based on a novel of the same name by Shivaji SawantItrsquos with films like thesemdashsay even Tanhaji 2020 more recentlymdashthat I often crave the company of a proper researcherhistorian who can simultaneously apprise me of facts along with fiction Maybe I should take along someone from Bombay University next timeOf course Irsquom kidding We donrsquot go to theatres to crack a UPSC exam This is a picture for Godrsquos sake The primary purpose of which ought to be entertainmentOf course thatrsquos never the only purposeMainstream movies also dabble in mythmaking You figure so while you watch Chhaava part human part indestructible Hercules fly hundreds of feet up in the air piercing swords through necks as he pulls a lionrsquos jaw apart battling the king of the jungle inside a well Those are fine sequences actuallyDoes actor Vicky Kaushal in this part totally slay onscreen Oh man hersquos given it his allAnd in certain lowangle shots of him in the throne hersquos as real as any actor likely to play the Maratha warriorking Sometimes one forgets hersquos the son of one of Indiarsquos top action directors Sham Kaushal and therefore likely to know more than a thing or two about stuntsStarting with horseriding perhaps that was once an important skill for anybody aiming to be a Bollywood star One must also not forget Kaushal began his career with the minimalist Masaan 2015 The transformation from then to now is visually competeThat said I feel the filmmakers sold him the stunt setpieces really As against a more engaging emotional connect He enters the screen vanquishing Mughals in Burhanpur to announce that he doesnrsquot believe in shor noise but simply shikaar the huntWhich is quite contrary to what we watch him do thereafter that is roar and roar some more pretty much all through His colleagues in the military Viineet Kumar Siingh Ashutosh Rana et al are perhaps even louderThis UttarDakshin story is about the battle for Swarajya as it were in the Deccan region being the Maratha empiremdashldquoSahyadri Godavari Raigad Jalna Nashik Konkanhelliprdquomdashresisting and taking on the Mughals from the North of India once Chhatrapati Shivaji is no moreThere is Aurangzebrsquos son Akbar willing to ally with Sambhaji to finish off his own father Likewise there are betrayers within Sambhajirsquos cohort chiefly a queenmother of sorts in their midst the lovely Divya Dutta Loyalty has hardly been medieval historyrsquos strong suitThe way this drama plays out is more like commercial breaks lacking in detail between battle scenes after battle scenes Itrsquos as if the filmmakers are merely interested in coverage of their script which has enough and more in it to expand into a seriesWhat the film lacks hence is a directorial touch By which I donrsquot mean there arenrsquot amazing sequences to be awed by after allThere is much of thatmdashfrom the river of blood more dead bodies than leaves on trees and of course the exquisite guerilla warfare that the Marathas as per popular lore were wellknown for Fatigue inevitably sets in thoughBy a filmmakerrsquos touchflourish I mean a confidenteasy rhythm thehraav to inhale moments charactergraphhellip Budgets canrsquot buy that You donrsquot even get to noticeobserve AR Rahmanrsquos musicA set of breathless disjointed key scenes could well be stitched together for a longrunning TV show too no Maybe could watch that As always wholly up to you whether yoursquod watch this

Chhaava movie review: Vicky Kaushal-starrer lacks a filmmaker's touch

Director: Laxman Utekar
Actors: Vicky Kaushal, Rashmika Mandanna, Akshaye Khanna
Rating: 2 stars

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Home / Entertainment / Bollywood News / Article / Chhaava movie review: Vicky Kaushal-starrer lacks a filmmaker's touch

Chhaava movie review: Vicky Kaushal-starrer lacks a filmmaker's touch

Director: Laxman UtekarActors: Vicky Kaushal, Rashmika Mandanna, Akshaye KhannaRating: 2 stars

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Latest Photos

Latest Videos

Latest Web Stories

Mid-Day Fast

Director: Laxman Utekar
Actors: Vicky Kaushal, Rashmika Mandanna, Akshaye Khanna
Rating: 2 stars