Mumbai: The Vicky Kaushal-starrer period drama ‘Chhaava’, revolving around the legacy of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, is leaving the audience teary-eyed and cash registers ringing at the box office.
However, amid the massive success, the film has sparked a fresh controversy.
According to a report in News18, the descendants of Maratha warriors Ganoji and Kanhoji Shirke have claimed that the portrayal of their ancestors in the film is “unfair and misleading” and have threatened to file a Rs 100-crore defamation case against the filmmakers.
In the film, there is a scene that shows Sambhaji’s trusted allies Ganoji and Kanhoji betraying him by befriending Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and this eventually leads to the Maratha ruler’s death.
After the film’s release, Laxmikant Raje Shirke, 13th descendant of Ganoji and Kanhoji Shirke, criticised the filmmakers for “misinterpretation of historical facts.”
Expressing disappointment, Shirke stated that the portrayal of his ancestors in a negative light “unfairly damages his family’s legacy.”
On February 20, the Shirke family sent a notice to ‘Chhaava’ director Laxman Utekar, requesting a clarification on the portrayal of their ancestors negatively and also urged the filmmaker to make the necessary corrections.
In response to this, Utekar personally reached out to Bhushan Shirke, one of the descendants and issued an apology for any unintentional hurt caused to the family.
Clarifying that the film did not mention the last names or the village names of Ganoji and Kanhoji, he said, “We have only mentioned the names of Ganoji and Kanhoji in Chhaava, without referring to their surname. We’ve also made sure to not disclose the village they belonged to. Our intention was not to hurt the sentiments of the Shirke family. I sincerely apologise if Chhaava caused any discomfort.”
However, the Shirke family has stated that if corrections are not made in the film, they will go for statewide protests.
