'If his followers...': Vicky Kaushal BREAKS silence on Chhaava controversy, calls now-deleted lezim sequence...

As the controversy around Vicky Kaushal's film Chhaava continues to garner attention, the actor seems unfazed by the now-deleted lezim sequence from his upcoming movie. In a recent interview, Vicky Kaushal addressed the controversy surrounding Chhaava and called the now-deleted lezim sequence from the film 'not important'. Vicky Kaushal shared that though the sequence was added to promote Maharashtrian culture globally, it has now been deleted as Sambhaji Maharaj’s followers felt it was "a bit off". 

Speaking to the media in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Vicky Kaushal said, "Not a single day went by when we didn’t start work on the film without the Shivgarjana (slogans about the courage of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj). The lezim part was just for 20-30 seconds (in the film). It was not just a (part of the) story, but it was an effort to take our culture to the globe."

"Sambhaji Maharaj was a king of the people, and if someone asked him to play (lezim) with them, the king would definitely oblige. But if his followers feel it was a bit off… It is not important to the movie’s story, so we have removed it," Vicky Kaushal was quoted by Hindustan Times as saying. 

For the unversed, Maharashtra Minister Uday Samant had earlier expressed disappointment with Vicky Kaushal's film, objecting to the scene where Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was shown dancing.

Samant, while speaking to the media, said, "If they raise objections, we will not let it be released. The movie shows Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj dancing. The director should cut this part. This movie should be shown to historians and scholars. If they raise objections, we will not let it be released."

Chhaava is based on the life of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Apart from Vicky Kaushal, the film also stars Rashmika Mandanna, Akshaye Khanna, Ashutosh Rana, and Divya Dutta in lead roles. Chhaava is all set to release on February 14, 2025.

READ | Salman Khan REVEALS why he avoids eating beef and pork: 'Main maanta hu meri maa...'