By Ram Jadhav | CinemaDose
Published: February 14, 2025 | Updated: September 1, 2026
Best Chhaava Movie Review! Vicky Kaushal”Chhaava” tells the story of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj the eldest son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the second ruler of the Maratha Empire and his relentless resistance against Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Directed by Laxman Utekar and based on Shivaji Sawant’s Marathi novel “Chhava,” the film had one of the biggest openings of Vicky Kaushal’s career, and it’s easy to see why the marketing leaned so hard into his transformation for the role.
Quick Facts Best Chhaava Movie Review! Vicky Kaushal
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Director | Laxman Utekar |
| Lead Cast | Vicky Kaushal, Rashmika Mandanna, Akshaye Khanna |
| Music | A.R. Rahman |
| Based On | “Chhava” by Shivaji Sawant |
| Runtime | 161 minutes |
| Release Date | February 14, 2025 |
| Where to Watch | Netflix |
The Story
The film picks up after the death of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, as his son Sambhaji inherits both the Maratha throne and the war Shivaji spent his life fighting. Sambhaji launches an early, audacious strike on the Mughal fort at Burhanpur, which pushes Aurangzeb (played by Akshaye Khanna) into treating him as the empire’s central threat. What follows is a chronicle of political maneuvering, betrayal, and escalating conflict, building toward Sambhaji’s brutal capture and imprisonment in the film’s back half.
What Works
Vicky Kaushal is genuinely the film’s anchor. His physical transformation and commitment to the role — particularly in the torture sequences during the film’s climax — have been singled out by nearly every review as the strongest reason to watch. Akshaye Khanna’s Aurangzeb is appropriately menacing without tipping into caricature, and A.R. Rahman’s score adds real emotional weight to the film’s bigger moments. The battle sequences and production design are also consistently praised for their scale and craft.
Where It Struggles
The consensus across most reviews is that the film’s pacing is uneven — a slower first half spent establishing the political landscape gives way to a second half that leans heavily on repeated, drawn-out confrontations. Rashmika Mandanna’s role as Yesubai has been widely noted as underwritten, given limited room to do much beyond support the narrative around Sambhaji. Some historians and viewers have also flagged historical inaccuracies, which sparked some public debate around the film’s release.
CinemaDose Take
“Chhaava” is a film carried almost entirely by its lead performance. Vicky Kaushal delivers what’s genuinely one of the more committed performances of his career, and the climax — brutal as it is — lands with real emotional force. But the film around him is inconsistent: a stretched first half, an underused supporting cast, and a screenplay that could have trusted its audience with more nuance instead of leaning on spectacle to carry entire stretches. It’s a film worth watching for Kaushal’s performance and Rahman’s score, with reasonable expectations about the pacing in between.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who does Vicky Kaushal play in Chhaava? He plays Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the eldest son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the second ruler of the Maratha Empire — not Shivaji Maharaj himself.
Is Chhaava based on a true story? Yes, it’s based on the life of Sambhaji Maharaj, adapted from Shivaji Sawant’s Marathi novel “Chhava,” though the film has faced some criticism over historical accuracy.
Where can I watch Chhaava? It’s available to stream on Netflix.
Who composed the music for Chhaava? A.R. Rahman composed the film’s score and soundtrack.
How was Chhaava received at the box office? The film was a significant commercial success, with a strong extended theatrical run well beyond its opening weeks.
Written by Ram Jadhav for CinemaDose — covering Bollywood and South Indian cinema, box office news, and new releases.
