Vicky Kaushal's Chhaava emerged as one of the biggest hits of this year, minting Rs 800 crore globally when the Hindi film industry is going through a lull phase. While Vicky Kaushal was praised for his performance in the role of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, director Mahesh Manjrekar credited the Maharashtra audience for the film's big success.
In a new interview with Mirchi Marathi, Mahesh Manjrekar claimed that people came to watch the character, not the actor who played him.
Mahesh said in Marathi, "Vicky Kaushal is a very fine actor. His film Chhaava collected ₹800 crore. But Vicky Kaushal can never say that people came to see him. Because then they would have come to see the previous five films as well. The audience came to see your character. His previous five films did not work."
"So my Maharashtra has saved the Hindi film industry, remember this. Today, Chhaava is doing well, and 80 percent of its credit goes to Maharashtra. In fact, 90 percent of the credit goes to Pune and the rest goes to other parts of Maharashtra. Maharashtra can save the industry," Mahesh Manjrekar summed up his emotions.
Directed by Laxman Utekar, Chhaava also stars Rashmika Mandanna in the role of Sambhaji Maharaj's wife, Yesubai Bhonsale. Akshaye Khanna, Ashutosh Rana, and Divya Dutta also star in key roles. The film has been produced by Dinesh Vijan under Maddock films.
The film minted more than Rs 600 crore in India. Vicky Kaushal will next be seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Love & War alongside Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor.
