Shirke family ‘to protest’ Chaava film’s historical inaccuracy

On Monday, several members of the family visited the temple of the family’s deity in their ancestral village of Shirkoli to plan their resistance to the film Chhava. The film, which released on February 14, has been directed by Laxman Utekar and stars Vicky Kaushal, Ashutosh Rana, Akshaye Khanna and Divya Dutta.

On February 20, the family sent a legal notice to the filmmakers, the publisher of the novel and its rights holders. “A couple of days ago, the director apologised over the cellphone. He sent a WhatsApp audio message to a member of the family that he was sorry and didn’t want to hurt our sentiments. He said that the film followed the novel. Our objection is that a novel is not history, it is a fictional story,” said Deepak Raje Shirke.

He added that, before the film was released, the family had approached the offices of the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and others. “We also informed the director of the film and others associated with it that what they were showing was wrong and they should not do it. They did not take any action and ignored us and released the film,” he said.

Deepak said the family will continue to pursue legal measures against the film and were planning protests. “We want the real history to come to the forefront. There is absolutely no proof in history for what is shown in the film,” he said.

“It is a work of fiction and imagination. The novel, Chhava, by the late Sivaji Sawant, was published in 1979 and, without any basis, accused Ganoji and Kanhoji Shirke of betrayal. Elders from our family had registered their objection to the novel as well. In 2009, we filed an RTI with the Directorate of Archives and they responded that there was no evidence to support the contention of the Shirkes’ betrayal,” Deepak said.

According to Deepak Raje Shirke, the diary of Francis Martin, a French officer who served as an envoy in the Maratha court, revealed that it were the scribes of the court who had betrayed Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. “It is sad that people think of Ganoji and Kanhoji Shirke as khalnayak,” he said.

He said the family was “shocked and saddened by the film”.

“The truth is Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj’s wife, Maharani Yesubai Bhonsale, was from the Shirke family. Ganoji Shirke was married to the daughter of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Thereafter, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj’s son, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj I, was married to a Shirke woman. Now, if Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj had been betrayed by the Shirkes, would his son have been married to a Shirke girl? Maharani Yesubai Bhonsale was the sister of Ganojiraje Shirke. In Indian tradition, no man will make his sister a widow,” he said.

Deepak added that “somebody powerful” was shielding the real villains of history and this this person tried to show Ganoji and Kanhoji Shirke were not real brothers, but cousins.

The Shirkes, who have a 750-year history, ruled parts of Pune, Goa, Mumbai and the Konkan, among others. “Many small rulers had come together under one flag to fight for swaraj under Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the Shirkes were among them. Incidentally, the Raigad fort was with the Shirke family for 350 years,” says Deepak Raje Shirke. An important sardar of the clan was Pilaji Raje Shirke and his children, Ganoji and Maharani Yesubai Bhosale., would play important roles in Maratha history. Maharani Yesubai Bhonsale married Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in 1664 and, through times of upheaval that saw her husband’s execution and her own 13 year imprisonment, held the Maratha empire together with her administrative skills, political acumen and bravery.