Chhaava was one of the biggest box office successes of 2025. The epic historical drama starring Vicky Kaushal and Rashmika Mandanna was a biopic about Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. AR Rahman composed the songs for the film, which became hits upon release. A year later, the music composer has shared his thoughts on the Laxman Utekar directorial, admitting that the film was ‘divisive’ and capitalised on that sentiment. (Also read: Vicky Kaushal decodes Dhurandhar, Chhaava’s box office success: ‘Calling patriotism formula is an insult to the emotion’)
AR Rahman has admitted that Vicky Kaushal-starrer Chhaava was a ‘divisive’ film.What AR Rahman said on Chhaava
“It is a divisive film. I think it cashed in on divisiveness, but I think the core of it is to show bravery. I had asked the director. ‘Why did he need me for this film? But he said that we need only you for this. It is an enjoyable film, but definitely people are smarter than that. Do you think people are going to get influenced by movies? They have something called internal conscience, which knows what the truth is, and what manipulation is,” he said in an interview with BBC Asian Network.
When asked how Chhaava mentions ‘Subhanallah’ and ‘Alhamdulillah’ when something bad is happening in the film, Rahman said, “That is such a cliche. it is cringe. I have great respect for people. They are not that foolish to get influenced by false information. I have great faith in humanity. People have a conscience, heart, love and compassion.”
Since then, the comment has been shared heavily on social media. “Chaava is not divisive. It is history. Showing history is not divisive,” read a tweet.
About Chhaava
Chhaava is based on Shivaji Sawant’s Marathi novel of the same name. Directed by Laxman Utekar, Chhaava is a biopic about Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. Vicky plays the lead role. The film also stars Akshaye Khanna as Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, along with Rashmika Mandanna, Divya Dutta, and Diana Penty in supporting roles.
Chhaava crossed the ₹800 crore mark worldwide.