Chhaava Budget, Box Office Collection, Cast, Release Date, Review, Hit or Flop
Chhaava (meaning: Lion’s Cub) is a 2025 Indian Hindi-language historical action film. It depicts the life of Sambhaji Maharaj, the second king of the Maratha Empire, played by Vicky Kaushal. The story is based on the Marathi book ‘Chhaava’ written by Shivaji Sawant. Laxman Utekar directed the film, and Dinesh Vijnan produced it under the banner of Medoc Films. The film also stars Akshaye Khanna and Rashmika Mandanna in important roles.
The makers began pre-production work in April 2023. They began shooting in October 2023 and completed its shooting in May 2024. A. R. Rahman provided the music and background score, and the lyrics were written by Irshad Kamil and Kshitij Patwardhan.
Chhaava was released in cinemas on 14 February 2025 in both normal and IMAX formats. The film was well received and received positive reviews, but some people also pointed out issues with the historical details. In theatres, the film performed very well, grossing around ₹797.34 crore (US$94 million) to ₹809 crore (US$96 million). It became the highest-grossing Indian film of 2025, and also the highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. It has now emerged as the eighth-biggest Hindi hit of all time and the thirteenth-biggest Indian film of all time.
Brief Introduction About Chhaava Film
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Laxman Utekar |
| Screenplay by | Laxman Utekar, Rishi Virmani, Kaustubh Savarkar, Unman Bankar, Omkar Mahajan |
| Based on | Chhaava by Shivaji Sawant |
| Produced by | Dinesh Vijan |
| Starring | Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Rashmika Mandanna |
| Cinematography | Saurabh Goswami |
| Edited by | Manish Pradhan |
| Music by | A. R. Rahman |
| Production company | Maddock Films |
| Distributed by | Pen Marudhar (India), Yash Raj Films (International) |
| Release date | 14 February 2025 |
| Running time | 161 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Plot
A messenger tells Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has died. Aurangzeb agrees that he has lost a powerful enemy, but still tells everyone to celebrate. His ministers believe that the Maratha rule will now fall. But Shivaji’s son Sambhaji acts quickly and takes power. He launches a swift attack on Burhanpur, an important Mughal city. The Mughal side does not see it coming, and Sambhaji’s army easily defeats them.
During the fight, Sambhaji falls through the gallows door and reaches the room with the lion. He bravely confronts the lion and breaks its jaw with his bare hands. When Aurangzeb learns this, he knows that the Maratha fight is not over yet. So, he launches a major war campaign to stay in power.
At the same time, Sambhaji comes home and meets his wife Yesubai. He is crowned Chhatrapati. But his stepmother Soyarabai and some courtiers like Annaji Datto Sachiv plan to depose him and make their son Rajaram king. Far away, Aurangzeb’s soldiers destroy villages, kill people, burn houses and enslave the villagers. They torture them a lot. Aurangzeb’s son, Mirza Muhammad Akbar, wants to fight his father and seeks Sambhaji’s help. While Sambhaji waits for the decision, Akbar reveals evidence that Soyarabai is secretly helping him. Sambhaji is shocked, but promises to protect Akbar. He punishes the traitors and asks Soyarabai’s brother and his own general, Hambirrao Mohite, to deal with Soyarabai.
Sambhaji uses smart hit-and-run attacks to weaken the Mughals. The Mughal army loses many men, and the difficult terrain makes things worse for them. Soyarabai falls ill and then dies. Sambhaji takes care of Rajaram and gets him married to Hambirrao’s daughter Tarabai. Hambirrao later dies in battle. After repeated defeats, Aurangzeb feels humiliated. He vows that he will never wear his crown until he crushes Sambhaji. His daughter Zeenat-un-Nisa wants to seduce her brother Akbar, but Sambhaji stops her and keeps his promise.
When some local leaders start to retreat, Sambhaji calls a meeting at Sangameshwar and encourages them to stay strong. But the betrayal begins again. Yesubai’s brothers, angered by Sambhaji, trick him and tell the Mughals where he is. At night, when Sambhaji is traveling with only 150 soldiers, they give away his location.
Cast And Crew of Chhaava
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Vicky Kaushal | Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj |
| Akshaye Khanna | Aurangzeb |
| Rashmika Mandanna | Yesubai Bhonsale |
| Ashutosh Rana | Hambir Rao |
| Divya Dutta | Soyrabai |
| Vineet Kumar Singh | Kavi Kalash |
| Neil Bhoopalam | Akbar |
| Diana Penty | Zeenat |
| Pradeep Singh Rawat | Yesaji Kank |
| Santosh Juvekar | Rayaji |
| Kiran Karmarkar | Annaji |
| Balaji Manohar | Mhaloji |
| Neelkantee Patekar | Dharau |
| Anil George | Mukkarab Khan |
| Sarang Sathaye | Ganoji |
| Suvrat Joshi | Kanhoji |
| Ankit Anil Sharmaa | Santaji |
| Ashish Pathode | Antaji |
Chhaava Box Office Collection
| Region | Collection |
|---|---|
| India (Net) | ₹601.54 crore |
| Worldwide (Gross) | ₹807.88 crore |
| India (Gross) | ₹600+ crore (approx.) |
| Overseas (Gross) | ₹206.34 crore (approx.) |
Is Chhaava Movie Hit Or Flop?
This is how we find the profit:
Earnings – Budget = Profit
Profit ÷ Budget × 100 = Profit %
Chhaava made a huge profit of 223.61%, so it is the first superhit film of Bollywood of 2025.
This makes Chhaava the third highest-grossing film of Vicky Kaushal’s career. Take a look at his top 3 films by profit %:
Uri: The Surgical Strike – 876.24%
Raazi – 310.56%
Chhaava – 223.61% (in 11 days)
Laxman Utekar’s film may soon surpass Raazi. But we will have to wait and see if it can earn as much as Uri: The Surgical Strike.
Chhaava Review
Laxman Utekar’s ‘Chhaava’ depicts the Battle of Burhanpur and how it changed the Maratha-Mughal war. It does not depict the complete life story of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. The film starts off slow in the first half, but improves in the second half and ends with a strong and emotional scene. The confrontation between Sambhaji Maharaj and Aurangzeb, especially the part between Vicky Kaushal and Vineet Kumar, becomes one of the best scenes in the film. The battle scenes look very beautiful and are well shot, but A. R. Rahman’s background music does not completely match the Maratha spirit. The action is mostly good, but a few stunts and editing tricks seem too much and break the realistic feel. However, the film looks rich with good camera work, costumes and CGI, and it brings the past to life.
The actors make the film even better. Vicky Kaushal plays Sambhaji Maharaj with power. He shows his strength and bravery, especially towards the end. Akshaye Khanna does a good job as Aurangzeb even with fewer lines. Rashmika Mandanna’s performance is good, but she doesn’t fit the role at all. Ashutosh Rana provides strong support, and Vineet Kumar leaves an impression with his screen presence. Despite some weaknesses in the film, it still honours the name of Sambhaji Maharaj and reminds people of his courage and sacrifice.
