Vicky Kaushal at trailer launch event of Chhaava (L), A still from the film’s trailer (R) |
The trailer of Vicky Kaushal, Rashmika Mandanna and Akshaye Khanna’s Chhaava was unveiled at a grand event in Mumbai by the makers on Wednesday. While Vicky, director Laxman Utekar and producer Dinesh Vijan were showered with flower petals as they made a striking entry in an open jeep at the event, Rashmika arrived despite her leg injury.
The trailer is sure to give you goosebumps, with powerful scenes and captivating dialogues. Vicky flaunts his massive demeanour as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. He roars like a lion throughout the trailer and from the looks of it, this seems like another praiseworthy performance by the actor.
Sharing his experience of playing Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Vicky said, “When we began preparing for Chhaava, I used to meet Laxman Sir every day. We would read the script and do research… I had many questions. But eventually, after learning all the history, I asked him how I should prepare and portray the character. He gave me just one brief—he said, ‘Vicky, I need a lion.’ And that’s all he said. Whether he walks, roars, fights, or stays silent, he should be a lion. He told me that every cell in my body should feel like a lion, and I hope people feel the same when they watch the film.”
Opening up about how he prepared for Chhaava, Vicky stated, “I got confidence from Laxman Sir. He once told me that Chhaava is personal for him, and when a director says something like that, it gives you immense confidence because you know that whatever happens in the film will be sincere and authentic. I underwent extensive action training to match the physicality of the character. After finishing Sam Bahadur, I took a seven-month break to prepare for this film. I trained in horse riding and sword fighting as well. But the most important thing was to capture the spirit of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, and for that, I completely relied on Laxman Sir.”
“The last action film I did was Uri: The Surgical Strike. After that, I was craving to do some action again. I didn’t know I’d get to do so much action in this one (laughs). I trained for nearly seven months. I went from 80 kgs to 105 kgs for this role. Whatever I had in me, I gave it all to this film,” the actor added.
Rashmika, who will be seen as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj’s wife, Maharani Yesubai, said she was shocked when she was offered the role. “I remember being absolutely shocked wondering how Laxman sir even thought of giving me a role like this. You don’t have a reference. It’s a story. You know their story and they are such majestical, impactful characters and personalities. How do you play them? For me, specifically, I just surrendered to what Laxman sir wanted. There was of course a lot of rehearsal in terms of language. But, it’s just the trust you have in the team because you know that if someone has to pull this off, you shouldn’t have any sort of barriers with yourself. You just have to say, ‘Sir, I am all in. Whatever you ask for, I am here to deliver.'”
“It’s an honour. For a girl coming from the South to play a Maharani is the most privileged and special thing that I could ask for in this lifetime. I was just telling Laxman sir that I feel like after this, I’m happy enough to retire,” she joked.
Revealing why he chose Vicky and Rashmika for Chhaava, Laxman said, “It was solely because of Vicky’s honesty. I needed an actor like him to play this role. I saw that aura only in him. In fact, back in 2021, when I started working on the script, I told Dinesh that I wanted to make this film only with Vicky and Rashmika. I remember Dinesh asking me, ‘Why Rashmika? She’s not even Maharashtrian.’ But I wanted to cast her because her eyes are so pure—no one else could look like a Marathi queen.”
Chhaava also stars Akshaye Khanna as Mughal Shahenshah Aurangzeb, Ashutosh Rana as Sarsenapati Hambirao Mohite, Divya Dutta as Soyarabai, and Diana Penty as Zinat-un-Nissa Begum, Aurangzeb’s daughter. The film is all set to release in theatres on February 14, 2025.
