It is getting harder for all but the most diehard partisans to defend Aurangzeb, the last of those whom colonial British historians had dubbed the “great" Mughals. Chhaava (“Lion Cub"), the movie about Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, already grossing well over Rs 600 crore globally, is the most telling evidence that Aurangzeb has few fans left, and an eloquent indicator of the consensus that Empress Mumtaz Mahal’s sixth child had little, if any, redeeming features.

Before its release, it was thought that the film would be a success in western India given the popularity of Maratha lore in that region. Remember that Maharashtra’s Aurangabad city and district were officially renamed Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in 2023 fulfilling a longstanding demand of Balasaheb Thackeray and the Shiv Sena. But Chhaava has obviously struck a chord among Indians all over the country, surprising not only industry mavens but the political class as well.

Trade journals have also recorded that Chhaava is closing in on the worldwide haul of Padmavat, another movie that featured a reviled medieval ruler in India, Alauddin Khilji. And it marks the public redemption of Sambhaji, a Maratha ruler who had long been sidelined in the pantheon of heroes for several unwise moves and perceived weaknesses. Predictable attempts to resurrect the usual arguments forwarded previously to deride Sambhaji have gained little traction this time.

Sambhaji’s prolonged brutal torture and eventual murder on Aurangzeb’s orders —for his defiant refusal to capitulate and convert to Islam—are well documented by contemporary and later sources. But Indian historians of the 20th century painted a dismal overall picture of Shivaji’s........

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