The common belief among fans of Bollywood cinema is that there has been no major male star since the generation that produced the "Three Khans" — , , and . While there have been a handful of key contenders who've shown promising signs — and are perhaps the biggest challengers for the crown — they haven't had the sustained success that the older generation still enjoys. But there is a new kid on the block. After establishing himself as a bankable lead with the war drama in 2019, is poised to deliver his biggest hit yet: .

Having played in theaters worldwide for a week, the historical drama has enjoyed major success at the box office. The film has , and is poised to overtake Uri in a matter of days. Chhaava is the highest-grossing Indian film of the year so far, and has out-performed recent Hollywood titles such as ($34 million), ($33 million), and ($24 million). Chhaava delivered a top 10 finish at the global box office in the first weekend of its release; the field was led by .

The , a key figure of the Maratha Empire in the 17th century. The warrior king battled to defend his territory against the Mughal emperor, played in the film by . Much has been said about Chhaava's final act, during which Aurangzeb brutally tortures Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj; the film has also been accused of playing into the majoritarian right-wing sentiments of contemporary India, and . Of the eight reviews currently listed on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, only three are positive.

Chhaava is a Hindi-language film, but . For instance, recent hits such as , , and , are all Telugu-language movies. ; these industries operate mostly independently of each other, barring a few key exceptions. Chhaava is aimed at audiences in the north of the country, and isn't expected to do much business in the southern region, which has its own folk heroes to celebrate.

You can watch Chhaava in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Chhaava

Release Date

December 6, 2024

Director

Laxman Utekar