WEAPONISING HISTORY

The violence in Maharashtra over Aurangzeb's controversial legacy is only the latest marker of Hindutva attempts to redress perceived historical wrongs

- By DHAVAL S. KULKARNI & AVANEESH MISHRA

The success of a film is measured not only by its boxoffice earnings, but also by the emotions it can rouse in its audiences. Chhaava (meaning 'lion cub'), based on a popular Marathi novel on the 17th-century figure of Sambhaji, son of the iconic founder of the Maratha empire, Chhatrapati Shivaji, delivered on both scores. It had already raked in upwards of Rs 541 crore by the sixth week of its February 14 release. But what really propelled the drama to the headlines was an extended and graphic sequence of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (played by Akshaye Khanna) torturing and killing Sambhaji (Vicky Kaushal) in 1689. The scenes had people breaking down in tears and shouting patriotic slogans in theatres-dutifully recorded on videos and circulated widely on social media. Its stature was confirmed when, amid cheers for Sambhaji and Shivaji, a special screening was held on March 27, at the GMC Balayogi auditorium in Parliament, where the audience included Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, BJP president J.P. Nadda and their NDA colleagues.