Chhaava Makers Vs Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj 'Betrayers' Kin: Why Director Laxman Utekar Apologised Over ₹100 Crore Lawsuit

Chhaava Controversy: Vicky Kaushal and Akshaye Khanna starrer Chhaava is performing well at the box office and has emerged as one of the biggest Bollywood hits ever. However, the movie release saw some obstacles coming in the way. A Lezim song and dance sequence was removed after objections from certain sections to the trailer and now, a defamation suit stands in its way.

Chhaava looks to portray the valour and bravery of Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj (Vicky Kaushal) in 1660s and how he was tortured and killed by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, played by Akshaye. Reportedly, the kin of Ganoji and Kanhoji Shirke, portrayed in the movie by Sarang Sathaye and Suvrat Joshi respectively, have raised objections over how the family relations between the Shirkes and Bhosales are depicted in the movie.

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Chhaava shows how Sambhaji Maharaj is captured by the Mughals and the Shirkes are involved in the conspiracy. This, as shown in the movie, has been contested by one of the descendants of the Shirkes, Bhushan Shirke. Subsequently, a ₹100 crore lawsuit has also been filed against the makers of Chhaava, which also led to Laxman Utekar issuing an apology.

"We have only mentioned the names of Ganoji and Kanhoji in Chhaava, without referring to their surname. We’ve also made sure not to disclose the village they belonged to. Our intention was not to hurt the sentiments of the Shirke family. I sincerely apologise if Chhaava caused any discomfort," Laxman Utekar said. Whether or not the movie will be altered over the contentious claim remains to be seen.

The Shirke family has strongly criticised Chhaava makers for "distorting" history and damaging their family reputation. They sent a legal notice on February 20. The relationship between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his son Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj with the Shirkes is a complicated one and took turns over the years.

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Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje aka Ganoji Shirke and Kanhoji Shirke were the brothers-in-law of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. Ganoji was the brother of Sambhaji’s wife Maharani Yesubai Bhonsale. When Sheikh Nizam Mukarrab Khan captured Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj at Sangameshwar, it was shown in Chhaava that Ganoji Shirke and his brother Kanhoji Shirke were with Khan and thus believed to be conspirators.

According to the Shirkes, the family has been combating public memory of Ganoji Shirke and Kanhoji Shirke for centuries. The notion seems reinforced by Chhaava. In the novel Chhava, written by Shivaji Sawant and published in 1979, it is mentioned that Ganoji and Kanhoji betrayed Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj leading to his capture, torture by the Mughals and distressing murder over religious conversion and surrender.

The infamy lives on through Chhaava. The Shirke family has maintained that the tag of the traitor has also been politically employed against them for years leading to discrimination. In 2009, the family filed an RTI application with the directorate of archives, seeking any documentary evidence linking Ganoji and Kanhoji Shirke to Sambhaji Maharaj’s capture by the Mughals. “No such proof was found," said a family member.