The film ‘Chhava’ has created a tremendous stir in the whole country and has once again brought Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj into the national level discussion. His struggle and sacrifice are shown in this film, due to which many people are now learning about him. The film shows the atrocities committed by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb on Sambhaji Maharaj. Many people see it by associating it with religion, but is it the whole truth? Did Aurangzeb harass him just because he refused to accept Islam or was it a fight for power? What does history say about it? Come, let us know what is shown right in ‘Chhava’ and what not.
Seeing the film, the children had tears in their eyes, the youth were seen shouting slogans, and the Prime Minister himself also praised the film and its actors. But the question is whether ‘Chhava’ is really based on history? The film is made on Shivaji Sawant’s famous book ‘Chhava’, but it has been taken creative freedom in many places. There are many incidents in the film that do not match history.
The producer-directors of the film left no stone unturned to make it a grand film, which led to the name of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj echoed throughout the country. But some scenes and events do not match history. For example, Soyrabai (Sambhaji Maharaj’s stepmother) is shown sitting in the court while sitting in the court, while this never happened. Some parts of the film are excellent and have great impact on the youth, but some scenes shown have no basis or historical evidence. The film shows the war of Burhanpur in a brilliant way, but some things have been exaggerated in it. For example, Maharaj is shown coming out of water and mud. He was also a human, so how would he breathe under water?
Another question arises when Sambhaji Maharaj himself is shown giving ‘Shiva thunder’ in the film. ‘Har Har Mahadev’ is mentioned in history from the time of Shahaji Maharaj. Bhonsle family was a worshiper of Lord Shiva, and ‘Har Har Mahadev’ means ‘Lord Shiva’s victory’. But it is beyond comprehension that Maharaj himself raised such slogans before the war.
It is shown in the film that Soyrabai met Aurangzeb and hatched a conspiracy against Sambhaji Maharaj. But there is no historical proof of this. Yes, she wanted Shivaji Maharaj’s second son Rajaram Raja, and his brother commander Hambirrao Mohite was supporting him in it. But the story shown in the film is not completely factual.
The martyrdom of Sambhaji Maharaj was the most important part of his personality. The film showed it well, which was not shown in such detail in any film or series earlier. But in the film, it has been seen not only from the perspective of caste but also from the glasses of religion. The question is whether Sambhaji Maharaj was tortured just because he refused to accept Islam? In fact, apart from religion, power and politics were also a big reason. The main objective of Aurangzeb was to win and gain power in Maharashtra. Yes, he asked many people to accept Islam, but this was not his priority.
He also imprisoned Sambhaji Maharaj’s family, including his wife Yesubai and his son Shahu Maharaj. Aurangzeb definitely asked Shahu Maharaj to accept Islam, but his main goal was to hold power. Another historical event is that when a Mughal officer misbehaved with a woman from the Bhonsle family, Aurangzeb sentenced and killed his own officer. This shows that even at that time morality was given importance to some extent.
One thing about this time that should be appreciated is moral with whom he won. Historians (whether they were Mughal, Portuguese or someone else) have mentioned that Aurangzeb used to live under great moral pressure while taking any step. It is recorded in history that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj never touched any Muslim woman nor demolished any mosque. After Aurangzeb’s death in 1707, Jesubai and the rest returned to Maharashtra.
A question that bothers me is why there was no major rebellion after the martyrdom of Sambhaji Maharaj? Nobody revolted against Aurangzeb. The story of Sambhaji Maharaj was so big that it cannot be fully covered in a film, but ‘Chhava’ has definitely filled a new passion for him in the hearts of people.
(Vishwas Patil Sambhaji and Shivaji are the author of Mahasamrat.)