When and how did the idea for Har Har Mahadev come to you?
I always wanted to make a film on Shivaji Maharaj but his life is so dramatic that it is impossible to do justice to it in just one film. So I thought I would do a trilogy. This was the first of it. This particular legendary battle that happened on the night of July 13, 1660 always fascinated me. But what set out to be written as an out and out war film eventually shaped up into a war film which also explores the human side of war.
An extensive volume of research must have gone into the pre-production.How difficult was it to reference the characters?
I have grown up listening to the stories of my Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj. But I found that he is grossly unexplored as a character and as a human being. We revere him as God. So I started writing this film in 2012 and realised why he is even bigger than the Gods. And to tell this fascinating story, I got the character of Baji Prabhu Deshpande… an ageing warrior who finds a purpose so late in his life. And how he redeems himself by giving his life for Shivaji Maharaj. I wanted to show the unseen side of my Chhatrapati which no one has shown yet.
How much of the film is true to history and how much is fiction?
I think if you explore any person in depth and look keenly at his story, how he has lived his life, his behaviour and his choices, we can find enough drama and we don’t need to lie or take unneeded liberties. After having stayed with the characters for so long I realised how grossly unexplored were both Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Baji Prabhu Deshpande as people. And I tried to go beyond anecdotes and folklore about these two and focussed more on their hard choices and behaviours and it threw fascinating human insights which is what is the core of the film. And of course certain unknown incidents also we have included.
Coming to the casting were Sharad Kelkar and Subodh Bhave your first choices? Tell me about the casting process?
Yes. Both were my first choices. Baji Prabhu Deshpande starts off as a victim of the times he is living in. A good man, a brave man but a rigid man with no foresight… in that sense an immovable object. And he meets this whirlwind, forward-thinking young rebel Shivaji Maharaj almost like an unstoppable force. The clash of these titans and their ideologies forms a major part of the film. Shivaji Maharaj is often known only as brave but his humane side, his philosophies are always ignored. For my Shivaji Maharaj to portray the minutest of nuances and a range of emotions and switching smoothly from one to other, I couldn’t trust any actor apart from Subodh Bhave. He is so effortless and charismatic and he has given me the Shivaji Maharaj that I had imagined. Usually Sharad is known for his voice, I wanted to break that mould. I gave him minimum dialogues and created situations of silence for him. And the way you will see Sharad Kelkar emote with his eyes, the helplessness of an honest man, the emotionally torn father… it is an absolute treat.
How on earth did you achieve such an epic quality on screen with the limited budget?
Planning and detailing!!! Today for a film to become a theatre experience it has to have a certain grandeur and scale. And because of the Hollywood films coming in, we Indians have developed dignified tastebuds. So if we are bringing a historical film in theatres, it is imperative that the visuals are top class and the vfx of the highest quality. After spending 4 years planning and making this film, we’re happy that we have created a scale that the people are loving. Credit to Divinity Pictures & Gokul Mahajan for creating the 17th century world of Har Har Mahadev. On a side note… its not just the visual scale… but also the sound, the performances the music and above all the scale of emotions which I hope will dazzle people.
Subodh Bhave has spoken about the cast and crew falling at his feet when he emerged on the sets dressed as Shivaji?
It is how we revere our heroes. And Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is a God for the masses here. When you watch the film Har Har Mahadev you will know the real work of Shivaji Maharaj and you will know why this noble king eclipsed even the Gods. There would be an extra air of purity and decorum on the set when Subodh Bhave would be in costume of Shivaji Maharaj.
How would you compare Har Har Mahadev with the other recent historicals like Tanhaji and Bajirao Mastani?
Both Bajirao Mastani and Tanhaji have been written by the brilliant brilliant writer Prakash Kapadia. He’s the best we have today and I am a great admirer of his writing and I learn from every work of his. The way Sanjay Leela Bhansali sir has made Ranveer Singh get into the character of Bajirao Peshwa was another lesson in direction for me. Har Har Mahadev is also a historical and a war film. And of course we also have punchlines and swag and heroism… but we have tried to explore the human side of war and most importantly the humane side of legendary warriors.
Your film brings up the very sensitive issue of consent and rape. How rampant was non consensual s*x in the period you have described?
It was a norm. And traditionally if you see in those times the invaders used Rape not just as a way of satiating lust but also a weapon of subjugating women. Women are the source of knowledge of a civilisation and the keepers of sanctity of any culture. So annihilating women was what men and invaders did first when they wanted to conquer, control and administer. In Har Har Mahadev you will see that in these chaotic times, how Shivaji Maharaj stepped up and declared that Rape as a punishable crime. And it was punishable by death or getting hands & limbs chopped off. Shivaji Maharaj’s Swarajya movement was mainly to ensure safety for our women.
The female characters such as the two wives have small but powerful roles. How did you ensure that the women did not get neglected in your screenplay?
No not just women even characters who have one scene should be memorable for the audience. Usually in historical and war films, women are often ignored or used for romantic relief or glamour. But if you see war realistically… it is the women who suffer the most… as wives, as mothers as sisters as daughters and sometimes just as helpless civilians of a losing nation. We wanted to show the important contribution of women to the glorious Maratha History. We will see the supreme sacrifice of queen Sai-Bai… Shivaji Maharaj’s wife. The no-nonsense Sonabai Deshpande who will not mince her words when she sees her husband Baji Prabhu Deshpande go helpless. You will see the great mother queen Jijabaji and how she shaped Shivaji Maharaj’s ideals.
Marathi cinema has made great headway in recent years. Your comments on the quality of cinema in Maharashtra?
As an insider, I feel we in Marathi cinema are blessed to have a strong base of Marathi literature, folklore and Marathi Theater. Most of our stories and talent come from there. This is the time when Marathi industry realizes that we cannot compete only on the basis of good & profound stories. We need to scale up the production values, the visual palettes and the grandeur of our films which places us better to compete against the Southern and Hollywood cinema. We need to be proud of our own Maratha history and should be ready to tell the world about our stories and not just keep them limited to Maharashtra. I am proud to be a small part of the wonderful talent that we have in Marathi cinema.
Finally how important is it for cinema to reclaim our cinematic heritage?
World over we seem to be going through a revivalist phase. We seem to be looking back into the times gone and we want to discover the glories of our past. It is great as long as we look at all of it from a modern lens. History teaches us not just what happened but Why it happened. If we can explore those reasons, the compelling nature of the human mind and our fragilities then I think history is a great repository of our culture and heritage and stories. And since today’s generation reads very less and watches a lot more… Cinema is the most important tool to remind us who we are.