In the upcoming period action drama Chhaava, Vicky Kaushal portrays Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. While he is getting all the limelight and attention for his fierce portrayal of the character, Akshaye Khanna’s Mughal Shahenshah Aurangzeb hasn’t gone unnoticed either.
Director Laxman Utekar praised Akshaye, calling him one of the finest actors in Bollywood. “The way he has played Aurangzeb will leave you frightened. He talks very little, but communicates so much with his eyes,” the director said during a recent interview.
But Laxman as well as Vicky, emphasised how Akshaye and Vicky never interacted on set.
Laxman said, “The day their scene together was to be shot was the day when they met each other for the first time and that too as characters.”
“When we were shooting that scene, we exchanged no good mornings or goodbyes or hellos. He was Aurangzeb and I was Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and we went straight into shooting the scene. There was no communication as Vicky Kaushal to Akshaye Khanna,” Vicky chimed in.
“Considering the way the scenes were, you can’t do them by sitting on chairs next to each other, sipping tea and then going for the shoot when ready. So, it didn’t happen organically either. I hope I get to chat with him after the movie’s release, but during the shoot, we never interacted with each other,” Vicky also stated.
The director added that the two actors never even wanted to see each other. “Both of them were so immersed in their characters, they didn’t even want to see each other’s faces,” he said.
But Vicky was all praises for his co-star Akshaye. “The muted sliminess and cunningness that he has brought into the character of Aurangzeb has blended beautifully with the roar of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj,” Vicky said.
Chhaava, also starring Rashmika Mandanna as Maharani Yesubai, is slated to release on February 14.
