Sambhaji was the son of Maratha emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji and the successor to the Hindawi Swarajya that his father established in 1674. He ascended the throne upon his father’s death in 1680, at the young age of 24.

Vicky Kaushal-starrer Chhaava is based on Marathi novelist Shivaji Sawant’s 1979 eponymous novel. Sawant also wrote the renowned novel Mrityunjay, based on the Mahabharata character Karna. ‘Chhaava’ means lion’s cub and refers to Sambhaji in both the book and the movie. Mounted on a lavish scale, the film establishes its ambitions with an opening sequence depicting the newly crowned Sambhaji’s 1680 raid on the crown jewel of the Mughal Empire—the fort of Burhanpur—its sacking, and the unapologetic message of defiance and conquest it sent to Aurangzeb.

ALSO READ: Opinion | Face The Horror: Why Every Hindu Must Watch ‘Chhaava’

Emboldened by Shivaji’s untimely demise and provoked by Sambhaji’s audacity, Mughal emperor Aurangzeb marched to the Deccan that same year,........

© News18