CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR, Feb 7: Actor Vicky Kaushal, whose upcoming film Chhaava sparked controversy over a lezim dance sequence featuring his character Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, on Thursday said the now-deleted scene was an effort from the makers to promote Maharashtra’s culture worldwide. Directed by Laxman Utekar, Chhaava will see Kaushal play Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, son of Maratha empire founder Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Laxman last week announced that they would remove the shots of lezim, a folk dance from the state of Maharashtra which involves a small musical instrument of the same name, after the footage in the film’s trailer faced objection from a section of politicians and history enthusiasts.
Vicky, who interacted with the media in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, said the intent of the cast and crew of Chhaava was clean right from the outset. “Not a single day went by when we didn’t start work on the film without the Shivgarjana (slogans about the courage of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj). The lezim part was just for 20-30 seconds (in the film). It was not just a (part of the) story, but it was an effort to take our culture to the globe.” “Sambhaji Maharaj was a king of the people, and if someone asked him to play (lezim) with them, the king would definitely oblige. But if his followers feel it was a bit off… It is not important to the movie’s story, so we have removed it,” the actor told reporters. (PTI)
