Vicky Kaushal to play Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, undergo intense training

National Award-winning actor Vicky Kaushal is roped in to play Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in an upcoming period drama directed by Laxman Utekar. The actor will be undergoing intense training for four months to look the part.

Mumbai: Bollywood star Vicky Kaushal is set to play the role of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in his next film, director Laxman Utekar confirmed. The Mimi fame director, who has collaborated with Kaushal on a yet-to-be-released romantic-comedy, said the actor was the perfect choice for the historical role.

Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, is the son of the founder of the Maratha empire, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Talking about why he chose Vicky to play the part, LAzman said, "His personality, like his height and physique matches that of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. He is also a fabulous performer. We didn't do any look test, I was sure that he is the one who can play Sambhaji."

For the role, Vicky seemingly has a humungous task ahead. The National Award-winning actor will undergo an intense training for the role. For four months, Vicky will be training in sword fighting, horse riding and a few other things. Once he achieves the physicality that the role demands, the makers will commence shooting for the period drama.

The cinematographer-director said he was keen to explore the story of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj on the big screen. "We have seen many films on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj but nobody knows how big a warrior Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was, or his contribution towards the Maratha empire and to Maharashtra," Utekar added.

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The director said the film is in pre-production stage and shoot will commence in August-September. The untitled film is backed by Dinesh Vijan's Maddock Films, with whom Utekar has collaborated on two successful films -- Luka Chuppi and Mimi -- in the past. Utekar revealed that currently post-production work is underway on his romantic-comedy film featuring Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan. The film is ready, it will release theatrically in April, he said.