Ishaan P Zore doesn't think Vicky Kaushal's persona quite matches Chhatrapati Sambhaji's iconic figure.
Chhatrapati Sambhaji, the son of the great Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji, ascended the Maratha throne almost an year after his father's death on April 3, 1680. Historians have vividly described him as a man with immense physical strength, sharp battle tactics but a 'reckless decision-maker' (as described by Shivaji himself and mentioned in Shriman Yogi by Ranjit Desai).
Born on May 14, 1657, to Shivaji and Saibai, Sambhaji was officially crowned as the Chhatrapati on January 16, 1681 (his symbolic coronation happened on July 20, 1680) at the age of 24 after his father's death.
Sambhaji is fondly referred to as Chhava, and that is the title of Producer Dinesh Vijan and Director Laxman Utekar's ambitious film starring Vicky Kaushal as Sambhaji.
The teaser for Chhava shows Sambhaji single-handedly fighting scores of soldiers, which wasn't unusual for the stocky and quick-footed Maratha warrior raised with strict military discipline and necessitated by the mountainous terrain of the Sahyadris.
Akshaye Khanna, who is barely recognisable, plays Aurangzeb.
The Mughal emperor thinking aloud 'Shiva gaya par uski soch zinda chhod gaya (Shivaji has gone but Sambhaji will continue his legacy)' though cryptic, doesn't leave us any wiser about what the film will be like.
Personally, I don't think Vicky quite makes the grade to play Sambhaji.
Sambhaji was known to be have a handsome face with a sharp nose and a chiseled physique.
He was known to be a master of swordsmanship, horsemanship and archery but was also a scholar in Vedic knowledge and knew as many as eight languages, including Sanskrit and Persian.
Still, we can't wait to see what Vicky brings us.
Chhava is set to release on December 6.
Ishaan P Zore, 16, hopes for a good history lesson this December.
