Bollywood actor Vicky Kaushal, who is known for playing real-life characters with deftness, played 17th century Maratha ruler Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in Laxman Utekar’s Chhaava, which releases on big screens on February 14. IBNS-TWF correspondent Souvik Ghosh catches up with Vicky on his promotional tour for the film… Excerpts…
Q. Take us through your journey of portraying Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj?
A. I feel so blessed to have got such a role. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity where one literally gets to play a God. I come from Maharashtra where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj are not viewed just as warriors but as God. When I was offered the film, I was scared initially because I am aware of the sentiments associated with Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. But the team took a lot of effort for about four years to bring this film out as authentically, unapologetically and as grandly as possible. Our only motive to make this film was to take the story and glory of Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj not just to the entire nation but to the whole world.
Q. From headlining films like Uri: The Surgical Strike, Sardar Udham, Chhaava to leading commercial flicks like Bad Newz, you have a diverse filmography. How do you adjust to the physical transformation demanded by each one of them?
A. Every character comes with its own set of prep. The preparation is sometimes physical or emotional or I may have to learn a new skill or a language. So it depends on what that character is and how the director is trying to tell that story. I had a lot of military and physical prep. for Uri [Uri: The Surgical Strike], I had to learn a new language for Sanju, similarly I had to learn the language and culture of Benaras [Varanasi] for Masaan. For Chhaava, there was again a lot of physical prep. I had to put on 25 kilos of weight besides learning horse-riding, sword-fighting and all sorts of action training for seven months before beginning the shoot. So the prep. was my full time job for seven months.
Sometimes I come across a film like Shoojit-da’s [Shoojit Sircar] Sardar Udham where it was just about understanding the state of mind of a person and not about physicality and mannerism. It was just about getting into the headspace of that person. In Sam Bahadur, it was about how he [Sam Manekshaw] walks, talks and how to bring that charisma. I think it’s specialised for every character keeping the vision of the director in mind.
Q. How much research helps when you play real-life characters?
A. I feel it’s a waste of an opportunity if one doesn’t understand and study the culture, language and the era while doing such a film. So I sat with Laxman sir and writer Rishi Virmani almost everyday over a period of seven months [during preparation]. We just kept talking for months because this film is based on a novel by Shivaji Sawant. I don’t read books much [to prepare] because I don’t want to make acting a theory or a concept. So I discussed with Laxman sir regularly during that period and tried to understand. As someone who has been born and brought up in Mumbai, I read Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in History books so I was not completely unaware of that era. But of course there was Laxman sir to kind of guide me to that world.
Q. Do you sometimes feel the pressure of portraying a real life character authentically?
A. I have that pressure and responsibility in every biopic. I can’t be frivolous or take too many creative liberties while playing a real-life character. There is a fence attached to that portrayal. I had to be responsible as a lot of sentiments are attached with Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, who is not viewed as a warrior but as God [in Maharashtra]. I had to be cautious so that no one’s sentiment or emotion was hurt because we want the audience to feel the film as a fitting tribute to the king. But that sense of responsibility is always a little scary.
Q. You are completing 10 years of your career in 2025. How would you feel when you look back?
A. Oh my God! It’s surreal. Sometimes I can’t believe the kind of directors I have had the opportunity to have worked with and the films I have been part of. I wouldn’t have believed it if someone at the time of my debut had said I would be a part of such a big historical film based on Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in the tenth year of my career. So it’s unbelievable. God has been really kind while the audience has been amazingly loving, kind and encouraging. I just want to focus on the present and keep doing the good work. I want to keep doing the work with good people I get to work with. I just hope the audience keeps loving me [smiles].
(Images by Avishek Mitra/IBNS)
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