Amid the cheer which its box-office collections have ushered in, Vicky Kaushal-starrer Chhaava has found itself in a legal soup. Some descendants of Maratha commanders Ganoji and Kanhoji Shirke have threatened to file a Rs. 100-crore defamation suit against the makers, alleging that the historical drama portrays their family’s ancestors incorrectly.

Chhaava shows the two commanders as traitors, who played a role in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj’s capture by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Deepak Raje Shirke, one of the descendants of the duo, says, “Our reputation has been deeply affected. The whole of India thinks of us as gaddar. If the filmmakers continue to ignore us, we will take to the streets in protest. The Shirke family numbers are in lakhs in Maharashtra.”

He adds, “Chhava was, otherwise, a good film and the story of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj should be told to audiences. Only the few controversial parts must be removed.”

Meanwhile, according to a report by Marathi daily Pudhari, director Laxman Utekar has said that it was never their intention to hurt anyone’s sentiments. “We have only mentioned the names of Ganoji and Kanhoji without referring to their surname. We’ve also made sure to not disclose the village they belonged to. Our intention was not to hurt the sentiments of the Shirke family. I sincerely apologize if Chhaava caused any discomfort,” Laxman reportedly told Deepak.

We tried contacting the director and other members of the film, but didn’t get any response till the time of going to press.