Who were Ganoji and Kanhoji Shirke, whose descendants are protesting against Vicky Kaushal’s ‘Chhaava’?

The historical drama Chhaava is a hit with fans. The movie, based on the life of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, has crossed the Rs 350 crore mark at the box office.

While the film is creating buzz, its makers have come under fire for the portrayal of the historic Shirke family of Maharashtra. The descendants of Maratha commanders Ganoji and Kanhoji Shirke have objected to the depiction of their ancestors.

Let’s take a look at the row.

Chhaava lands in hot water

Chhaava makers are facing flak for portraying Ganoji Shrike and his brother Kanhoji Shirke in poor light. The Shirke family is upset with the Laxman Utekar-directed movie for showing that Ganoji and Kanhoji Shirke betrayed Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj , which resulted in his capture by Mughal commander Muqarrab Khan.

The film shows that the Shirke brothers demanded land from Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj to fulfil Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s alleged promise to their father, Pilaji Shirke, for the same. After Sambhaji does not heed their demand, the brothers defect to the Mughal side and reveal his location. The film shows that the brothers are present when Sambhaji Maharaj is captured by Mughal commander Muqarrab Khan in a battle at Sangameshwar in 1689.

“Our reputation has been deeply affected. The whole of India thinks of us as gaddar (traitors). If the filmmakers continue to ignore us, we will take to the streets in protest. The Shirke family numbers are in lakhs in Maharashtra,” Deepak Raje Shirke, a member of the family, told Indian Express.

“Chhaava was, otherwise, a good film and the story of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj should come before audiences. Only the few controversial parts must be removed,” he added.

Reports say that the descendants of the Shirke family are mulling filing a Rs 100-crore defamation lawsuit against the makers of Chhaava.

The family has already sent a legal notice to the director, the publisher of the novel, Chhava, and its rights holders. The Vicky Kaushal-starrer is based on the 1979 novel of the same name by Marathi writer Shivaji Sawant.

“Earlier, historical literature was limited to a niche readership. But with the rise of social media, misinformation spreads rapidly. People consume these narratives without question, leading to misplaced suspicion towards us,” Deepak Raje Shirke told Hindustan Times (HT).

The Shrike family alleges that the Chhaava movie distorts history and vilifies their ancestors.

As per the Indian Express report, many members of the Shirke family visited their ancestral village of Shirkoli on Monday, assembling at the temple of the family’s deity to plan their protest against the film.

Deepak Raje Shirke, the 13th-generation descendant of the Shirke family, told the newspaper that the family had approached the offices of the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Ministers and others before the movie’s release on February 14.

“We also informed the director of the film and others associated with it that what they were showing was wrong and they should not do it. They did not take any action and ignored us and released the film,” he said.

Who were Ganoji and Kanhoji Shirke?

The history of the Shirkes dates back to 750 years. They reportedly ruled parts of Pune, Goa, Mumbai and the Konkan, and so on. Pilaji Raje Shirke – the sardar of the clan – and his children, Ganoji and Maharani Yesubai Bhosale played key roles in Maratha history, noted Indian Express. 

In 1664, Maharani Yesubai Bhonsale married Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. Her brother, Ganoji Shirke was married to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s daughter Rajkunwar.

“Many small rulers had come together under one flag to fight for swaraj under Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the Shirkes were among them. Incidentally, the Raigad fort was with the Shirke family for 350 years,” Deepak Raje Shirke told the newspaper.

The contentious history

It’s complicated. Historians have different views when it comes to whether the Shirke brothers betrayed Sambhaji.

According to the biography Shivputra Sambhaji by Kamal Gokhale, Ganoji and other family members might have allied with the Mughals as early as 1682-83. However, Rahul Magar, assistant professor at the History Department of Savitribai Phule Pune University, told Indian Express, “On the other hand, historians from the Mughal side like Niccolao Manucci and Ishwar Das Nagar say that Kavi Kalash was a Mughal spy. In conclusion, Sambhaji Raje was betrayed, but we get two different versions of who did so.”

Kavi Kalash was a close friend of Chhatrapati Sambhaji.

Historian Indrajit Sawant is being threatened after he said in various interviews that it was not the Shirke brothers who betrayed Sambhaji but some Brahmins who helped the Mughals, citing correspondence between officials of the French East India Company.

“There was a trade office of French officials near Sangameshwar, and they used to relay information about happenings in the Maratha kingdom to their headquarters at Pondicherry,” the historian said in interviews. “The diary of Francis Martin, a French officer, says that Brahmin clerks working in the Maratha kingdom helped the Mughals arrest Sambhaji Maharaj.”

Past lurks over Shirke family

For the Shirke family, the narrative etched in people’s memory that their ancestors betrayed Sambhaji and joined hands with the Mughals haunts them even today.

Speaking to HT, Laxmikant Raje Shirke, Deepak’s younger brother, said that the family’s history is exploited by political parties. “Many of our relatives are in active politics, and during elections, opposition parties exploit our surname against us. My brother Devidas Raje, a former deputy sarpanch of Pedgaon in Ahilyanagar district, was frequently targeted over our so-called ‘betrayal legacy’ during his campaigns.”

The Shirke family claims there is no documentary evidence to prove their ancestors betrayed Sambhaji Maharaj.

In 2009, the family filed an RTI application with the Directorate of Archives, which responded that there was no “proof” of documentary evidence linking Ganoji and Kanhoji Shirke to Sambhaji Maharaj’s capture by the Mughals.

Now, with the movie Chhaava , the Shirke family is back in the limelight. While the director repeatedly reached out to Bhushan Shirke, another descendant, to apologise, the family is unfazed.

They plan to take to the streets to protest against the film if their concerns are not addressed.

With inputs from agencies