Of gusty roars and deadly sounds of silence Starcast: Vicky Kaushal, Rashmika Mandanna, Akshaye Khanna, Ashutosh Rana, Diary Penty, Vineet K...
Of gusty roars and deadly sounds of silence
Starcast: Vicky Kaushal, Rashmika Mandanna, Akshaye Khanna, Ashutosh Rana, Diary Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Anil George, Kiran Karmakar
There has been a sudden interest of late in the exploits of Chhatrapati Shivaji both in Bollywood and on the OTT platform, raising the war cry of Swaraj. Director Laxman Utekar shifts focus a bit to bring to life Chhatrapati Shivaji's son Sambhaji Maharaj's exploits as a mighty ruler and great warrior who time and again humbled Mughal emperor Aurangzeb only to be defeated after being betrayed by his own kith and kin.
Based on Shivaji
Sawant's Marathi novel 'Chhaava' the film showcases the valour of the lion's
cub which stupefied even the Mughals as they watched him die, a lion even in
death, a death which ironically worked as a death knell for the Mughal empire
Vicky Kaushal is at his brawny best as he puts his heart, body, and soul to breathing life into Sambhaji Maharaj, making him a larger-than-life warrior and ruler. Akshaye Khanna as Aurangzeb (referred to as Aurang many times in the film) is deadly as he fixes the audience and his fellow actors with his death stares and telling silences. Barely recognizable in his makeup, Akshaye's sterling performance, especially his steely eyes, pale even Vicky's gusty roars at times.
Rashmika Mandanna as
Sambhaji's wife Maharani Yeshubai is a delight to watch. She looks like a
million bucks, graceful and dignified in her regal role. Her diction has
definitely improved since 'Animal' but there is scope for more improvement.
Vineet Kumar Singh as Kavi Kalash is bang on and his witty exchanges with
Sambhaji are among the lighter moments in this heavy-duty film.
Ashutosh Rana as
Hambirrao Mohite gives a dependable performance, while Divya Dutta as the
wily and scheming Rajmata Soyarabi is underutilized. Diana Penty as Zinat-ul-Nissa Begum is plain wood. What comes to mind is that perpetually surprised look on her
face wondering "What the hell am I doing in this setup".
While she is a silent mannequin in her flowing royal robes in the first half, she graduates to delivering her father Auranzeb's orders in a strange staccato
manner in the second half.
Music by AR Rehman is
rousing, fitting in with Sambhaji’s battle cry. The handsomely mounted film has
excellently choreographed action sequences with blood and gore in abundance.
But what takes the cake is the last half an hour where Aurangzeb
tortures Sambhaji slowly and surely to give him a lingering death. A sequence
difficult to watch and stomach.
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