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Journalism of Courage
The box office success of Chhaava is not just about ticket sales—it’s sparking some truly wild reactions. From theatres erupting with Maratha slogans to a man dramatically riding a horse inside a cinema hall, the craze is real. But things just took an even crazier turn in Madhya Pradesh.
In Burhanpur, a massive crowd gathered near Asirgarh Fort, convinced that Mughal-era gold lay buried beneath the soil. Fuelled by the film’s storyline and age-old legends, villagers took matters into their own hands, digging up fields late into the night. Some even brought metal detectors, hoping to strike gold. The treasure hunt went on from 7 pm to 3 am before the police arrived and put an end to the search.
Journalist Kashif Kakvi posted about the incident on X, sharing a video of people frantically digging with flashlights. His caption read, “After watching Bollywood film Chhaava, villagers near Asirgarh Fort in Burhanpur (MP) launched a gold hunt after the dawn. With flashlights & metal detectors, they’ve been digging fields, chasing rumors of Mughal-era treasure! The gold diggers ran away when Police arrived.”
The video quickly went viral, racking up over two lakh views. Social media was flooded with reactions, ranging from amusement to disbelief. One user joked, “Men end up as ‘Gold Digger.’” Another referenced Dhamaal, quipping, “My history knowledge says that Aurangzeb buried a lot of gold in St Sebastian garden under a big W.” Someone else playfully warned, “Agli baar koi alien wali movie dekh ke UFO dhoondhne na nikal jayein bhai log.”
Asirgarh Fort, deeply tied to Mughal history, has long been the subject of rumours about hidden treasures from Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s campaigns against the Marathas. It seems Chhaava has reignited these old tales, pushing some fans to take fiction a bit too literally.
The film, directed by Laxman Utekar, stars Vicky Kaushal as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Based on Shivaji Sawant’s iconic Marathi novel Chhava, the movie also features Rashmika Mandanna as Maharani Yesubai, Akshaye Khanna as Aurangzeb, Ashutosh Rana as Sarsenapati Hambirao Mohite, and Neil Bhoopalam as Prince Akbar.
