The history of Indian civilization is a confluence of different cultures, belief systems, and ideologies, which is why having a single definitive interpretation of the crucial annals of bygone eras, and of the lives and exploits of significant figureheads is impossible. But what we do know for certain is that, more than deeds or events, history remembers the legacies of the ones who shaped its course—which grants them eternity in the truest sense. Director Laxman Utekar’s Chhaava, which chronicles the life and valor of Maratha King Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, reserves its final resolution for a discussion on legacies—which is possibly the best moment of the otherwise extremely loud, stereotypically mainstream Indian historical movie packaged as a masala entertainer.
Actor Vicky Kaushal’s take on the titular legendary king is not as nuanced as most of his recent biographical roles were, and as a result, the wisdom, wit, and grace of Sambhaji, the historical figure, have been largely overshadowed by the energy and exuberance that reflect traditional action heroes of Bollywood. Given the present condition of Indian mainstream media, political pandering makes it impossible for a historical movie to be objective, but still Akshaye Khanna’s steely, cold, cunning portrayal of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb is bound to leave a mark in viewers’ minds.
Spoilers Ahead
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Resisted Mughal Domination
Those who have a rough idea about the history of the Mughal Empire in India surely know that, at the zenith of its power during the reign of the Sixth Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb, aside from the Ahom Kingdom in Northeast India, only one independent dynasty was resolute enough to put up a fight against them. The founder and ruler of Maratha Swarajya, which included parts of modern Maharashtra and the Southern states, Chhatrapati Shivaji, proved to be a major force who stood against aggressive Mughal expansion. Appropriately nicknamed ‘Mountain Rat’ due to his ingenious tactics of covert guerrilla warfare through mountain passes, Shivaji was a hurdle Aurangzeb couldn’t clear—and their rivalry was personal in nature. It is understandable why, in the beginning of the movie, the news of Shivaji’s demise brought a sense of happiness and relief to the minds of Aurangzeb and his ministers in the royal court. After years of failed attempts to conquer Maratha Swarajya, finally the death of Shivaji seemed to mark the end of resistance and pave the way for Aurangzeb’s domination of Southern India—or so his ministers thought.
Sambhaji Carries the Legacy of His Father
Turns out, in the absence of Shivaji, his legacy and ideology are going to be carried on through his valiant, braveheart son, Sambhaji. ‘Chhaava’ literally translates to lion’s cub, and the way Sambhaji leads an attack on the wealthiest holding of the Mughal Empire, Burhanpur, and decimates dozens of Mughal soldiers on his own, he seems to own the moniker in both a figurative and literal sense. Killing a lion with his bare hands and defeating the Mughal general Khan Zamaan, Sambhaji and his Maratha troop loot and plunder Burhanpur—leaving a nasty smear on Aurangzeb’s premature celebrations.
The news of Sambhaji’s ascension frustrates Aurangzeb, especially because long ago, a young Sambhaji and his father Chhatrapati Shivaji were political prisoners in the Mughal capital of Agra, but both of them were able to escape from Aurangzeb’s clutches. Now, despite Shivaji having breathed his last, Maratha Swarajya has another protector yet again. In his vile lust for power, Aurangzeb didn’t spare his own blood, as he had had his elder brother, Dara Shikoh, murdered, and killed their father, the fifth Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, by leading him to lunacy in his imprisonment. Now that he is trying to justify his title, ‘Alamgir,’ Shivaji’s legacy is constantly proving to be a nuisance. Visiting the burned-down Burhanpur, Aurangzeb swears revenge upon Sambhaji and puts down his crown – promising not to wear it again until he gets to satisfy his desire for vengeance. Taking a huge Mughal army with them, Aurangzeb and his daughter, Zinat-un-Nissa Begum, venture towards the Southern part of the country to hunt down Sambhaji.
On the other hand, during the plundering of Burhanpur, Sambhaji rescues a lost boy and reunites him with his mother—which reminds him of his own childhood. Sambhaji never got to experience the love and affection of a mother, as his biological mother, Saibai, died when he was very young—and he could also relate to the lost kid as, at a young age, he had had to flee from Mughal enemies along with his father. The passing of Shivaji has left a deep-seated traumatic effect on him, as occasionally throughout the movie, Sambhaji is seen having nightmares. His fear of not being able to see to its end the dream of his father of building a unified Maratha kingdom is reflected in his vision of seeing his younger self getting lost in the darkness while being chased by enemies.
Early on, the narrative focuses on Sambhaji’s strong bond with Hambirrao Mohite, the strongest war general of Shivaji, who became a guardian figure to Sambhaji in his absence. Aside from him, two of Sambhaji’s most loyal and wise courtiers were Yesubai, his own wife, and Sanskrit scholar/poet Chandogamatya Kavi Kalash—Sambhaji’s dear friend. After Sambhaji’s coronation as Chhatrapati, the trio shared their belief in him being a worthy successor to Shivaji Maharaj’s throne—and laid the foundation of his governance.
Why Did Soyarabai Plot Against Sambhaji?
However, following his coronation, the first obstacle faced by Sambhaji appears not to be from external forces but from his own family. Sambhaji’s stepmother, Soyarabai, sister of Hambirrao Mohite, wanted her young son, Rajaram, to succeed Shivaji as Chhatrapati. However, Sambha’s ascension denied her her desire, following which she started conspiring against him along with her loyalist ministers. At this point, Kavi Kalesh brought the news that Aurangzeb’s fourth son, Muhammad Akbar, wants to overthrow his father from the Mughal high seat in Delhi and seeks assistance from Sambhaji. Following the age-old policy of the enemy of my enemy is a friend, Sambhaji agrees to meet Akbar despite having initial reservations and not subscribing to his ideology of turning on one’s own blood, which has become a tradition of sorts in the Mughal dynasty at this point. Akbar, on the other hand, reveals the truth about Sambha’s family conspiring behind his back, as it turns out Soyarabai and her ministers had approached Akbar to join hands to thwart Sambhaji’s rule. Without showing mercy to the detractors, Sambhaji shows an example of swift justice by executing Soyarabai’s loyalist ministers—but doesn’t confront or challenge his stepmother. Instead, Sambha confides in Yesu that, for what it’s worth, the incident has shown him an instance of a mother’s love—something he hadn’t experienced all his life. After Soyarabai’s death, Sambha takes Rajaram under his care. Sambha also provides refuge to Prince Akbar, and his forces save him from the assault troops sent by Aurangzeb. However, their alliance doesn’t last long, and Akbar seeks to escape from the country and Sambha aids him in fleeing to Persia.
Meanwhile, the Mughal army, led by Aurangzeb, made their way to the Southern side of the country, and showing a harrowing display of inhumanity, plundered, desecrated, and ravaged the localities en route. With his loyal generals and war council by his side, Sambhaji followed in the footsteps of his father and launched tactical guerrilla attacks from the wilderness, from the crevices of narrow mountain passes. The geological advantages provided by the treacherous mountainous regions rendered the lakhs strong Mughal forces completely helpless against the mere twenty-five thousand warriors of the Maratha army. Aurangzeb, who was confident enough that he would have Sambha vanquished in no time, appeared flabbergasted by the news that his forces brought from Delhi had almost halved in number. Like Shivaji Maharaj, his son Sambhu too has become a nightmare for the Mughal Empire, keeping the old emperor awake at night in dread and anxiety.
Who Betrayed Sambhaji?
Before a crucial battle where Sambha had the chance to face Aurangzeb at long last, Hambirrao Mohite met his end on the battlefield in the Battle of Wai—much to Sambhu’s dismay and agony. To add to this tense situation, several Deshmukhs – the rulers of Maratha districts – had started joining hands with the Mughals for personal gain—something that was detrimental to the existence of the Swarajya. Sambhaji gathered his associates and war council and shared a rousing speech to rekindle the unity among allies, as he shared his belief that the dream of keeping the sovereignty of the Swarajya alive can only be attained by driving Mughals out of the country.
However, the undefeated streak of Sambhaji finally came to a halt, that too due to betrayal by his own kin—when his brothers-in-law, Ganoji Shirke and Kanhoji Shirke, ended up revealing his war strategy to the Mughals. These two scoundrels were blinded by their greed to obtain the Konkan area for themselves and ended up selling their loyalty to the Mughals in exchange. Sambhaji was supposed to lead an ambush on Aurangzeb while sending troops towards Pune as a distraction, but with this new intel, Mughal General Muqarrab Khan led 5000 men to the secret location where Sambhaji had taken shelter and completely surrounded them. Kavi Kalash tried to implore Sambhu to flee and keep his father’s dream alive, but a proud Sambhu was not the kind of king who leaves his subjects in peril. In a final showdown, Sambhu and his accomplices valiantly fought against the Mughals, and Sambhu alone decimated the majority of them while witnessing members of his war council fall one by one. After great struggle, bloodied and battered, Sambhu and Kavi Kalash are captured alive, bound in chains, and brought to Aurangzeb for their final sentence.
Alamgir had held a grudge against Sambhu for a long, long time, and finally getting the chance to take his revenge, the cruel dictator showed no mercy as he instructed his soldiers to torture Sambhu until he begged for death. Remaining nonchalant in the face of the threats, Sambhu scoffed at Aurangzeb and made fun of the Mughal authority with Kavi Kalash. Before his good old friend was taken away to be executed, Sambhu fulfilled his final wish to have a poetry duel with him—which shows the physical and mental torment they were subjected to didn’t diminish their spirit in the least. The barbaric torture continued as, in order to listen to Sambhaji beg for mercy at least for once, Aurangzeb had Sambhu’s nails pulled from his fingers and had him blinded—but the only words that came from Sambhu’s mouth were his prayers addressed to clan deity, Ma Jagadamba, Ma Bhavani.
How Did Sambhaji Die?
Unable to shake Sambhu’s morals, Aurangzeb in a way admitted defeat as he asked him to ally himself with the Mughals—and shun his religion in exchange. For a king whose ideals, morals, and beliefs are more precious than his own life, and upholding the spirit of freedom is of utmost importance, a proposal such as this was beyond consideration. Sambhaji humiliates Aurangzeb till the last moment he could speak and gets his tongue ripped out at the end. On the other hand, Rajaram is crowned as Chhatrapati—and the news reaches Aurangzeb, who, reeling from a sense of failure and grief, attacks the messenger and stabs him to death. Aurangzeb, who is shown to have a great sense of respect for Shivaji Maharaj despite the bitter rivalry they shared, is overwhelmed with Sambha’s valor and laments feeling jealous of Shivaji for being blessed with a son like Sambha—who not only carried on his father’s legacy but inspired his people and future generations to fight for what they believed.
In Chhaava’s ending, Sambhaji breathes his last, and in his final moments, feels his mother descending from the pearly gates to guide her son to the heavenly seat. The first time Aurangzeb met a captive Sambhu, he had questioned the young king about the meaning of Swarajya. Sambhu’s reply about the very essence of nature, the spirit of freedom, which reverberated with the people of Maratha being synonymous with Swarajya, can be said to be the foundation of positive nationalism. Sambhaji had taunted Aurangzeb, saying he wouldn’t understand a concept so noble, as following his passing, the Mughal Empire will meet its end, whereas Sambha’s end will only bolster the dream of Swarajya among his people. Truly, a difference indeed exists between conquerors and kings, and historically speaking, Sambha’s words were proven true in retrospect. Aurangzeb’s zeal to conquer Southern India put such financial pressure on the Mughal Empire that it couldn’t recover in later years, and infighting and unworthy succession eventually weakened the dynasty from within. On the other hand, following Sambhaji’s death, his successors—Rajaram, Sambhaji’s son Shahu, and Maharani Tarabai—were able to build a strong, expanded Maratha Empire, which maintained its sovereignty, and till his death Aurangzeb wasn’t able to conquer it.
