Chhaava (2025): Cast, Story & OTT Details

Chhaava tells the story of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the second ruler of the Maratha Empire, played by Vicky Kaushal. It is adapted from Shivaji Sawant's Marathi novel Chhava, with Akshaye Khanna as Aurangzeb.

Release date and status

Chhaava released on 14 February 2025. Release markets: India (theatrical), worldwide. Language: Hindi (Telugu dub released later).

• 6 December 2024 – Originally scheduled: Postponed, partly to avoid a clash with Pushpa 2: The Rule
• 14 February 2025 – Released: Theatrical release

Release strategy

Originally scheduled for 6 December 2024, the film was moved to 14 February 2025, partly to avoid a clash with Pushpa 2: The Rule. It opened in standard and IMAX formats and was released in Russia on the same day. Madhya Pradesh and Goa declared it tax-free. A Telugu-dubbed version, distributed by Geetha Arts, followed on 7 March 2025. Pen Marudhar distributed the film in India and Yash Raj Films internationally.

OTT release

The film began streaming on Netflix on 11 April 2025.

Cast and crew

• Director: Laxman Utekar
• Music: A. R. Rahman
• Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Rashmika Mandanna

Correction: Earlier versions of this page listed the wrong release date (6 December 2024) and the wrong leads.

Production history

Chhaava, about Sambhaji, the second ruler of the Maratha Empire, is adapted from Shivaji Sawant's Marathi novel Chhava. Laxman Utekar discussed the idea with Vicky Kaushal on the set of Zara Hatke Zara Bachke (2023), and the project was confirmed in January 2023, with Dinesh Vijan producing for Maddock Films. Kaushal trained for about four months in sword fighting and horse riding. Pre-production began in April 2023, and Utekar's team spent about a year researching the period, travelling to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Ratnagiri, Pune, Nashik and Paithan.

Costume designer Sheetal Sharma sourced Paithani and Narayanpeth sarees for Rashmika Mandanna's Yesubai, and Kaushal's costume for the first action sequence reportedly weighed 17–18 kg. Filming ran from October 2023 to May 2024. Ajay Devgn recorded a voiceover shortly before release, as reported by Pinkvilla.

Trailer and music

The teaser was first shown before the preview shows of Stree 2 and released online on 19 August 2024, and the trailer launched in Mumbai on 22 January 2025. A. R. Rahman composed the songs and score, with lyrics by Irshad Kamil and Kshitij Patwardhan. "Jaane Tu" was released on 31 January 2025 and "Aaya Re Toofan" on 6 February 2025, followed by an album launch in Mumbai on 13 February. After political objections to a trailer scene showing Sambhaji and his wife performing the lezim dance, Utekar removed the scene.

Certification and runtime

The CBFC granted a U/A 16+ certificate on 1 February 2025, at 161 minutes 50 seconds. It asked for some first-half dialogue to be replaced and a scene of Maratha warriors in sarees to be removed, and required an audio-text disclaimer naming the source novel and stating that the film does not aim to defame anyone or distort history.

Box office

Chhaava opened with ₹33.10 crore in India, driven by Maharashtra, and grossed about ₹157–164 crore worldwide over the opening weekend, including US$2.2 million in the US. On 19 February 2025 it earned ₹33 crore, a record for a first Wednesday, and became the ninth fastest Hindi film to reach ₹200 crore. As of 20 April 2025 the worldwide gross was ₹797.34 crore (₹708.5 crore India, ₹88.84 crore overseas), and some estimates go as high as ₹809 crore.

Critical reception

Reviews were mixed, and the film was also criticised for historical inaccuracies. Rotten Tomatoes listed 29% of 14 critics' reviews as positive (average 5/10). Prasanna Zore of Rediff gave it 4/5 for attempting a film on Sambhaji, while calling it historically half-baked. Pooja Biraia of The Week (3.5/5) praised its grandeur, action and dialogue, and Zee News gave it 4/5.