Chhaava Writer Breaks Silence After AR Rahman Calls Film "Divisive"

More than a month after AR Rahman described Chhaava as a "divisive film", the historical drama's writer Rishi Virmani has now addressed the controversy. 

What Did Rishi Virmani Say?

Chhaava, directed by Laxman Utekar and headlined by Vicky Kaushal, is based on the life of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. The film received immense public support but also faced criticism from certain quarters.

In an interview with Zoom, Virmani dismissed the idea that cinema could single-handedly influence social or political thinking. "It is hard to believe that an entire mindset can be changed in just a couple of hours of screen time," he said.

He further highlighted the audience's independent judgement. "I have not seen this kind of attachment of the audience towards a film in a really long time," he added, suggesting that viewers connected with the story on their own terms.

Virmani also pointed out that there have been many instances where audiences have gone against industry predictions and delivered verdicts that surprised filmmakers.

AR Rahman Had Earlier Called The Film 'Divisive'

The controversy began after AR Rahman, who composed the film's music and background score, shared his candid thoughts during a conversation with BBC Asian Network.

"It is a divisive film. I think it cashed in on divisiveness, but I think the core of it is to show bravery. I had asked the director: 'Why did he need me for this film?' He replied, 'We need only you for this.' It is an enjoyable film, but definitely, people are smarter than that. Do you think people are going to get influenced by movies? They have something called internal conscience, which knows what the truth is, and what manipulation is," Rahman said.

Chhaava is adapted from the Marathi novel of the same name by Shivaji Sawant. The screenplay was written by Laxman Utekar and Rishi Virmani, along with Kaustubh Savarkar, Unman Bankar, and Omkar Mahajan. 

The film stars Vicky Kaushal as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Rashmika Mandanna as Yesubai Bhonsale, and Akshaye Khanna as Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

ALSO READ: 'The Sacrifice Will Never Leave Me': Vicky Kaushal On Playing 'Chhaava'

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India Outplayed By South Africa, Suffer Their Biggest Loss In T20 World Cup

The one dimensional "attack at all cost" template of Indian batting unit was thoroughly exposed as the hosts failed their first big test against South Africa, comprehensively losing their opening Super Eights game by 76 runs in the T20 World Cup in Ahmedabad on Sunday. While four victories on the trot in the group stage papered over the visible lacunae, the Indian batters totally faltered on a slightly sluggish surface The defeat, India's first since the semi-final loss to England in the 2022 edition, has left the group wide open and make their next two games against Zimbabwe (February 26) and West Indies (March 1) literally must-win games in order to qualify for the last four stage.

Jasprit Bumrah's (3/15 in 4 overs) superlative bowling performance was completely undone by an inept batting show as India were bowled out for a lowly 111 in 18.5 overs in pursuit of 188.

The 76-run defeat is India's biggest in T20 World Cup, surpassing their 49-run loss to Australia in Bridgetown in 2010.

Marco Jansen (4/22), Keshav Maharaj (3/24) and Corbin Bosch (2/12) were the wreckers-in-chief in what was a complete performance by the Proteas.

But David Miller's 63 and useful contributions from Dewald Brevis (45) and Tristan Stubbs (44 n.o.) should also get honourable mention especially as they nullified Varun Chakravarthy (1/47 in 4 overs) with aplomb.

But anyone who saw the Indian batters stutter against the USA, Namibia and the Netherlands knew that it required just one good team to force them to change gears, and they found their bogey unit in South Africa.

On a black soil surface where the ball was gripping, none of the Indian batters got the measure of Proteas' attack which fired collectively.

Skipper Aiden Markram made the job easier by removing the dangerous Ishan Kishan (0) with a delivery that stopped on him and he played the ugliest cross-batted hoick.

Tilak Varma's (1) approach towards batting in the whole tourney had been faulty and he lasted only two balls.

Tilak's intention to give Marco Jansen the charge ended disastrously and he also wasted a DRS for a nick that possibly could have been heard as far as at the Sabarmati Ashram.

Abhishek Sharma (15) got his first World Cup runs but he is completely out of sorts and it took one pace-off knuckle ball from India's nemesis Jansen to sort him out.

The debatable decision to include Washington Sundar in place of regular vice-captain Axar Patel turned out to be a complete harakiri as the over-rated white ball all-rounder neither set the stage on fire with ball or bat. Suryakumar Yadav (18 off 22 balls) couldn't get the ball off square at times and on a difficult surface against a good attack, his performance once again left a lot to be desired.

Suryakumar wouldn't even like to look at his dismissal off Bosch, as he flicked a delivery on leg-stump to mid-wicket.

At 51 for 5, the match was as good as over but Hardik Pandya (18 off 17 balls) and Shivam Dube (42 off 37 balls) were still there at the crease.

The duo added 35 runs but the bowling plans devised by South African coach Shukri Conrad was remarkable at that phase.

Lungi Ngidi and Bosch bowled wide yorkers at variable pace which the two big hitters couldn't negotiate well.

Spinner Keshav Maharaj (3/24) adjusted his lengths and bowled at a slower pace which made it immensely difficult to get under the ball and generate power. Once Pandya and Rinku were dismissed, the 90,000-odd spectators slowly trudged out carrying the disappointment of another World Cup game defeat at this venue.

Earlier, David Miller rolled back the years with exhilarating strokes but Bumrah's superb initial and end act had restricted South Africa to a manageable 187 for seven in 20 overs.

Miller, standing on the cusp of 37, struck 63 off 35 balls and got fine support from young Dewald Brevis (45 off 29 balls) after Bumrah (3/15 in 4 overs) and Arshdeep Singh (2/28 in 4 overs) had reduced the Proteas to 20 for 3 inside the first four overs.

Bumrah, who got two wickets in his first two overs for just seven runs, took one more wicket giving away just 8 more runs across the 17th and 19th over that he sent down but all went down the drain.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Bengaluru Lake Crisis: No Potable Water In India's 'Silicon Valley'

According to data published by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, water quality analysis conducted across 147 monitoring locations between April and November 2025 shows that not a single lake in the city consistently met potable or safe bathing standards.

No Lake Achieves Safe Water Quality

The report categorised lakes under standard water quality classes:

Class A: Potable without treatment

Class B: Safe for bathing

Class D & E: Severely polluted, unsuitable for human use

Shockingly, no lake achieved Class A or Class B status during the monitoring period. Most lakes were classified under D or E, indicating heavy contamination.

Iconic Lakes Among Worst Affected

Several of Bengaluru's most well-known lakes recorded disturbing pollution levels:

Bellandur Lake: Rated E in April, briefly improved to D during summer, before slipping back to E by November.

Varthur Lake: Fluctuated between D and E categories.

Hebbal Lake: Maintained D status for most months before deteriorating to E.

Other severely affected lakes include Madiwala, Kaikondanahalli, Kundalahalli, and Ulsoor (all D/E), while Sankey Tank maintained a D rating. The report notes that the Bommanahalli and Mahadevapura zones emerged as the worst-hit regions, largely due to rapid urbanisation and untreated waste discharge.

Experts Warn of 'Ecological Emergency'

Environmental activist Madhuri Subbarao, co-founder of Friends of Lakes, said the findings confirm long-standing concerns.

"Many lakes in Bengaluru are on the brink of ecological collapse," Ms Subbarao said. "Today, we cannot point to a single lake with healthy water quality, stable ecology, or safe biodiversity. Most lakes fall below acceptable standards, with water unfit even for animal consumption."

She called for urgent government intervention, including the formation of a dedicated lake restoration task force, the scientific identification of pollution sources, and stronger collaboration with citizen groups.

Summer Water Stress Likely to Worsen

The findings come at a critical time as Bengaluru prepares for peak summer, a period when dependence on groundwater and tanker supplies traditionally rises.

With the city's primary surface water bodies now officially declared unfit for use, residents face a mounting challenge in securing safe water as temperatures climb.

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Watch: Gurugram Man, 31, Shares Rs 2.44 Lakh Monthly Expense Breakdown

A 31-year-old corporate professional from Gurugram has sparked online discussion after sharing his monthly expenditure of over Rs 2.4 lakh. In a now-viral video titled ‘Monthly spends of corporate gym rat living in Gurgaon,' Gagan Saini detailed his January outgoings, ranging from rent and groceries to long-term investments.

Saini detailed that he was living in a 2.5 BHK flat in the Millennium City, with the rent coming around Rs 53,500. He said, although the rent was not cheap, his priorities had shifted post-marriage and comfort, location and safety came first. As for cook, maid and car cleaning, he was shelling out Rs 8,450 per month.

Being a regular at the gym, Saini said he was spending Rs 8,682 on membership and supplements, which also inflated his grocery costs to Rs 15,927 as he preferred to cook most of the meals at home. The homemade meals greatly reduced his eating-out tendencies, which meant that the dine-out bill stood at Rs 3,161.

Saini added that he was renting most of the furniture in his flat at a monthly cost of Rs 18,926, while home decor to make the space feel cosy set him back by Rs 4,848. Wi-fi and other OTT subscriptions increased the expenses by another Rs 1,728, and petrol cost him Rs 6,000.

"Home setup is still in progress so rented fridge and washing machine for now, but yes, got the recliner. Small home and kitchen touches to make the space feel like ours," he wrote.

As a content creator, Saini said he spent Rs 4,022 on buying some equipment and professional software subscriptions, whilst investing Rs 1,20,000. In the end, his total expenses for the month of January came to around Rs 2,44,244.

Check The Viral Post Here:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Gagan Saini (@03gagan)

Also Read | Viral Baby Monkey Punch Finally Accepted By His Troop With Heartwarming Hug

Social Media Reacts

As of the last update, the video had garnered over 171,000 views, as social media users joked that Saini's monthly expenses far exceeded their annual salaries.

"This is the annual package at our college," said one user while another added: "Bro, the amount you have spent is not even the salary of most people."

A third commented: "Apart from rent, everything else is pretty reasonable, good to know you are spending a good amount on your diet and stay."

A fourth said: "Seeing your rent made my heart sink. I feel lucky that I don't have to pay any rent. Rest everything is good."

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