First, let me clarify - I'm not undermining the efforts of the actors. Vicky Kaushal is an absolute delight to watch, and he truly looks the part. There's no doubt he has completely embodied the essence of the character - he feels like fire, water, earth, and air all at once. His portrayal is exactly what this role needed.
However, here's what didn't work for me:
- Lack of Memorable Characters - Apart from Kavi Kalash (played brilliantly by Vineet Kumar Singh), there aren't any other standout characters. The film needed more people we could connect with and care about.
- Casting of Yesubai - Rashmika Mandanna might visually fit the role, but let's be honest-this character should have been played by a Marathi actress. The fact that the makers chose a non-Hindi (let alone non-Marathi) speaking actor suggests they prioritized mass appeal over authenticity and storytelling.
- Background Score - I didn't even realize A. R. Rahman composed the music until I heard his signature cooing mid-film. And honestly, that realization left me disappointed. The background score wasn't always impactful, and at times, it was so loud that it drowned out the dialogues.
- Guerilla Warfare Strategy? - When Sambhaji Maharaj discusses his guerrilla tactics against the Mughals, the scene feels more like exaggerated jingoism rather than actual strategic planning. Was there really no better historical documentation to flesh out this sequence with more authenticity? Instead, whatever the characters predict in that scene unfolds exactly over the next 40 minutes, making the whole sequence feel simplistic and underdeveloped.
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Dialogue & Screenplay Issues - For a good portion of the film, I barely felt there were any dialogues! It was mostly background music filling in the gaps, seemingly covering up weak writing. The first 120 minutes felt like a prolonged setup, leading to the torture sequence - which, while impactful, doesn't make up for the lack of depth in the earlier part of the movie.
Final Thoughts
Brilliant acting, but that's about it. I felt the same way after watching Sam Bahadur - where key moments of strategy and planning were rushed through a poorly placed song. Instead of truly experiencing the peak of the story, we're only shown it from a distance and told, "This is where we're going," but never actually taken there. That's Chhaava in a nutshell-visually striking, but ultimately unsatisfying.
![Watch Teaser [OV]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYjAwYmQxMWQtYjdmNC00NDg3LWI4YjktMzExNjAwNjAyM2EwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXRyYW5zY29kZS13b3JrZmxvdw@@._V1_QL75_UY563_CR34,0,1000,563_.jpg)
