Vicky Kaushal’s latest release, ‘Chhava’, is doing numbers at the box office and the actor is riding high waves of success. Laxman Utekar’s fresh directorial depicts the story of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who was also the founder of the Maratha Empire.
Vicky Kaushal is playing the lead, which has impressed critics and netizens alike, not the same could be said for Rashmika Mandanna, who played the role of Yesubai Bhonsale, wife of Sambhaji Maharaj, in the film. Many users expressed their disappointment at the underwhelming performance of the actress.
Rashmika is being trolled online for lacking depth while playing the Martha queen. Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj plays an important role in the history of Maharashtra and the country alike. While Yesubai Bhonsale is also a revered personality who is praised for her governance and ability to rule the kingdom when Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was captured by Aurangzeb.
This wasn’t the first time netizens labeled Mandanna as ‘miscast,’ Since the announcement of the film’s casting, many users had objected to Mandanna playing the role of the Maratha queen. Many felt that Mandanna’s thick southern accent was hard to overlook during the dialogue delivery in the film.
The actress faced similar online trolling during the release of Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s ‘Animal’ for her dialogue delivery. While ‘Animal’s success’ worked in Mandanna’s favor, ‘Chhava’ couldn’t come to her rescue. The actress’s ‘South Indian’ ethnicity made her a bad choice for the role of a Maharashtrian queen.
Some social media users believed that Mrunal Thakur could’ve been a better fit for the role due to her Maharashtrian roots and the clear diction of the Maharashtrian accent.
I personally believe that Shravari Wagh would’ve also delivered an impressive performance, given her authentic Marathi accent and regional appeal, With her previous performance in the Netflix film Maharaja, Sharvari could’ve played the role of Yesubai Bhonsale with more cultural authenticity and nuanced acting that audiences were looking for.
