‘Chhaava’ director confirms deleting dance scenes amid row

Chhaava director Laxman Utekar on Monday confirmed that the film will not feature Sambhaji Maharaj performing a Lezim dance with his wife, Maharani Yesubai. The decision came after his meeting with MNS chief Raj Thackeray. In an official statement released to the media, Utekar shared that it was just a matter of a dance sequence and nothing is bigger than the legacy of the Maratha king.

Chhaava stars actor Vicky Kaushal, who plays the role of the celebrated Maratha warrior. The film trailer was released in Mumbai last week. "I have met Raj Thackeray. He is an avid reader and studious person. So I have taken some suggestions and guidance from him. And I can say, his words are very helpful to me. And after meeting him, I have decided to delete those scenes where we have shown Sambhaji Maharaj was playing Lezim dance," the director said in a statement.

He added that the dance sequence featuring Vicky and Rashmika Mandanna will be deleted from the film. "Lezim dance is not a big deal. So we are going to remove those scenes from the film," he said.

The director further acknowledged the concerns of several Maharashtra ministers, insisting on making historians watch the film before its release. Utekar said, "We have organised a special premiere show on 29th of January. Some historians and people who study history will be there. We will take their guidance."

Laxman's confirmation of deleting the dance sequence followed a series of objections from ministers in Maharashtra, threatening to ban the release of the film in the state if the sequence was not removed. On Sunday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed his concern with the film's portrayal of Sambhaji Maharaj. He told the media, "Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj's history should be shown correctly, it is not right to distort history. Everyone has a lot of love and respect for Sambhaji Maharaj. This respect and honour should not be hurt. There should be creativity (in filmmaking) but we believe that there should be sensitivity along with it."

Chhaava is based on author Shivaji Sawant's book of the same name. The film highlights the story of Sambhaji Maharaj's valour and his reign after he became the Chhatrapati. Utekar shared that they imagined Sambhaji as a 20-year-old boy in the film.

Earlier, Rajya Sabha MP Sambhjiraje Chhatrapati, who's also a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, suggested that the makers should make the historians watch their film before its release. "I told them (filmmakers) I would like to watch the entire movie before its release. I also offered to connect them with historians to address inaccuracies to ensure this significant story is presented authentically to audiences worldwide," he said. Maharashtra minister Uday Samant also objected to the dance sequence and shared a note on X against the release of Chhaava. 

Meanwhile, the director, in his statement, confirmed that the film would hit the screens as scheduled. Chhaava, also featuring Akshaye Khanna, Ashutosh Rana, Diana Penty, and Divya Dutta, among others, is releasing on February 14.