Historical dramas demand a foundation of exhaustive research and precision. As director Laxman Utekar set out to make Chhaava, a biopic of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, he was certain about offering an authentic representation of the 17th century Maratha king. Before the Vicky Kaushal-starrer went on floors in October 2023, the director worked closely with historians and costume designer Sheetal Sharma for a year to perfect the leading man’s look as well as that of the remaining cast.

Sources say that Sharma and Utekar, as part of their research, went to Aurangabad, Ratnagiri, Pune, Nashik, Paithan and many other towns of Maharashtra.

A source elaborates, “Some filmmakers love playing with whites and pastels that are far removed from the world they are depicting, but Laxman wanted to be authentic in his storytelling. When the team began their research by visiting Maratha towns, they found out that Indians are not about pastels, but about a blast of colours. Laxman and Sheetal visited several forts and museums in these cities and towns that further gave them an insight into the dressing and culture of that era. They also met historians, who studied that period.”

Chhaava, an adaptation of the Marathi novel of the same name by Shivaji Sawant, sees Rashmika Mandanna play Sambhaji’s wife Yesubai, Divya Dutta as his stepmother Soyarabai and Akshaye Khanna as Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

“For Rashmika’s look, the costume design team went to Paithan and Narayanpeth from where authentic Paithani and Narayanpeth sarees were sourced. Considering many fabrics used in that period are no longer available, they scoured museums and took pictures of the fabrics and textiles, which were then replicated by weavers. Some old sarees, including a few pieces that had 500-year-old borders, were also bought and restored. Rashmika has worn many Paithani sarees with Chandrakala designs.”

Sambhaji’s statues and busts heavily influenced Kaushal’s look in the period drama. One of the historians collected pictures of the king’s busts from Sambhajinagar, Pune, and Nashik.

The source adds, “The last image in Chhaava’s teaser, of Vicky sitting on the throne, has been designed based on a bust in Pune. The accessories have been sourced from Kolhapur, Sawantwadi and Ratnagiri. The jewellery as well as accessories had to have an old-world charm. So, Rashmika has worn the Lakshmi haar with a nath—a look that was replicated from images and artefacts found in museums. Sambhaji’s sword Bhavani was recreated from a museum in London, by production designers Subrata Chakraborty and Amit Ray.”