'Bal Shivaji' to 'Prabho Shivaji Raja'; Marathi movies that paid tribute to the great Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

February 19, marks the birth anniversary of the great Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. There are several historical films from 'Bal Shivaji' to 'Prabho Shivaji Raja' which were made to honour the great Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Check out the evergreen Marathi movies based on Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj you must on this special day.

Prabhakar Pendharkar's directorial 'Bal Shivaji' (1981) starring Anand Joshi, Janhavi Khandekar, Manikraj, Bhalchandra Kulkarni, Bapusaheb Gawade, Nargis Banu, Aasawari, Chandbibi. The film depicts how he commanded his own army by the age of 16 and outwitted and defeated veteran warriors like Adil Shah who caused grave injustice to his people. Through the real-life example of the great Maratha warrior, this inspirational film that won its lead the best child actor award gives the message that no age is too young for true leadership, grit, humanism and a resolve to fight injustice.

The Yashwant Bhalkar directorial 'Rajmata Jijau', is a story of the great Jijabai, mother of Shivaji Maharaj. The movie puts forth her teachings, values, bravery and even her lesser-known warrior skills. It follows her story and how she raised Shivaji to be one of the greatest rulers of the Maratha empire. Dr Smita Deshmukh as Jijau and Amol Kolhe as Shivaji Raje have done complete justice to their roles.

Nilesh Muley's directorial 'Prabho Shivaji Raja' is the first Marathi animation feature on this topic to release. So, despite being a 2D animation feature in the time of 3D animations, 'Prabho Shivaji Raja' the team of the Prabho Shivaji Raja deserves full marks for their work. Moreover, it has voice-overs from established actors, including Umesh Kamat, Sachin Khedekar and Avinash Narkar. The movie is definitely worth watching.

'Farzand', which marked Digpal Lanjekar's directorial debut, is based on an interesting story of the great Maratha warrior, Kondaji Farzand. It's about how one of Shivaji's bravest generals, Kondaji and 60 Mavlas captured the fort of Panhala by defeating Beshakh Khan, who posed a big threat during Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's coronation. Chinmay Mandlekar as Shivaji, Ankit Mohan as Kondaji Farzand and Prasad Oak as Bahirji Naik have done complete justice to their roles in the film.

'Me Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy' directed by Santosh Manjrekar was released in 2009. The film is about an ordinary, laid-back middle-class middle-aged Maharashtrian man by the name of Dinkar Bhosale (Sachin Khedekar). Everywhere he goes he finds that 'outsiders' are prospering. Shivaji Maharaj (Mahesh Manjrekar) wakes Dinkar Bhosle out of his lethargy and tells him to take responsibility for his life. Manjrekar has done commendable work with his role. The film starred Mahesh Manjrekar, Sachin Khedekar, Makarand Anaspure, Siddarth Jadhav, Suchitra Bandekar, Priya Bapat and Abhijeet Kelkar. The movie was a blockbuster and is definitely worth watching.