Fear of ‘Pushpa 2’ delays the release of film on Chhatrapati Sambhaji

The release of Vicky Kaushal-starrer Chhaava, a historical drama based on the life of Maratha king Sambhaji, has been postponed. Director Laxman Utekar’s film was scheduled to release on 6 December, but will now hit theatres on 14 February 2025.

This decision, announced by trade analyst Taran Adarsh on X, has been taken to avoid the clash with Pushpa 2. The sequel to Allu Arjun’s 2021 hit Pushpa: The Rise is receiving an overwhelming response in India and abroad.

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Maddock Film’s ambitious project Chhaava chronicles the life of the second Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire—and the eldest son of Shivaji 1, whose birth anniversary is celebrated on 19 February as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti. The film is an adaptation of the Marathi novel of the same name by Shivaji Sawant.

But Pushpa is clearly setting the terms.

“It’s a huge opposition to come with Pushpa 2, which has massive expectations. People are definitely going to opt for Pushpa 2. So no filmmaker would want to risk clashing with it,” Adarsh told ThePrint.

Avoiding the fate of Vedaa, Khel Khel Mein

Maddock Films, helmed by Dinesh Vijan, has had an extremely successful run this year with Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya (starring Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon) and horror-comedy films Munjya and Stree 2. While Teri Baaton…made a worldwide collection of Rs 141 crore, Munjya, made on a budget of Rs 30 crore, became a surprise hit grossing Rs 132.13 crore.

But the biggest blockbuster was Stree 2, with a worldwide box office collection of Rs 837 crore, the biggest for a Bollywood film so far this year. It is second only to Kalki 2898 AD, which made more than Rs 1,000 crore worldwide.

Now, Maddock Films has ventured out of the successful horror-comedy genre with the historical film Chhaava, which also stars Akshay Khanna as Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and Rashmika Mandanna as Yesubai Bhonsale, Sambhaji’s wife.

When Stree 2 was released, it clashed with Vedaa, starring Sharvari Wagh, Abhishek Banerjee and John Abraham, and Khel Khel Mein, which featured an ensemble cast of Akshay Kumar, Fardeen Khan, and Taapsee Pannu. Both Vedaa and Khel Khel Mein were more or less wiped out by the success of Stree 2.

“The makers have seen what a highly anticipated sequel can do. So definitely they have taken the wise decision to push the date, and not suffer the same fate,” added Adarsh.