'Chhaava' review: Overblown historical is crushed by its own excessive weight

WHILE period Bollywood epics based on real events might be eye-catching, most of them are inaccurate, exaggerated, and offer very little in terms of a history lesson. This recent cinema release attempts to tell the story of a brave 17th-century ruler.

When Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj passes away in 1680, his eldest son, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj (Vicky Kaushal), takes over and battles against the ruling Mughal army, led by brutal emperor Aurangzeb (Akshaye Khanna). The brave leader must fight against the odds, but also dark internal forces within his own ranks looking to overthrow him.

The overcooked drama, based on a Marathi novel, starts off surprisingly slowly and gradually picks up momentum as the movie progresses towards a bloody finale. Like other Hindi cinema historical epics, this is an overly exaggerated story set during a tumultuous time in Indian history, when rival kingdoms battled one another. What could have been an interesting window into the past turns into a headache-inducing jingoistic drama, which looks like it is trying to cash in on the current right-wing fervour of contemporary India. It also rewrites history and includes overly exaggerated scenes, such as the lead protagonist single-handedly fighting a lion.

While Vicky Kaushal delivers a spirited performance, it just isn’t enough to keep it afloat because multiple elements don’t work. The fractured screenplay, poor direction, and surprisingly average music let down positive aspects like the colourful costumes, eye-catching action sequences, and sharp camerawork. Although Akshaye Khanna also delivers a solid turn as the antagonist, many of the characters come across as caricatures instead of believable historical figures. The female characters are also largely sidelined.

What remains is an epic that relies so much on excess and grandstanding that it gets crushed by its own weight.