International shooter Sambhaji Patil, a gold medallist in the 2016 Junior World Cup, was killed on Monday when his car hit a truck on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway in Palghar district of Maharashtra.
Ranapati Shivray: Swari Agra is a riveting film that successfully captures one of the most celebrated event of the Maratha warrior king's life on screen, notes Ishaan Zore.
Heavy security was deployed outside the building and the forensic science team also reached the spot to collect evidence, the official said.
Oxford University Press India has issued an apology to Udayanraje Bhosale, a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, over 'unverified statements' made about the Maratha king in a book published over two decades ago. The apology addresses content in 'Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India' by James Laine, which sparked controversy and vandalism in 2004.
The bench said, "Be that as it may, the subject area shall ordinarily remain open for the public, except to the extent any development or maintenance work in particular places is required."
'Shivaji and Sambhaji followed the gospel of humanity. 'They did not discriminate based on religion, caste, or colour.' 'That is the beauty of Shivaji and Sambhaji's Hindvi Swaraj.'
A R Rahman feels a power shift may have happened in the past eight years, as 'people who are not creative have the power now to decide things.'
In the year gone by, quite a few of the younger actors flexed their acting muscle. Whether the films were blockbusters or not is immaterial, what matters is the effort put in.
The Maharashtra Cyber division has issued a notice to the Wikimedia Foundation, the organization behind Wikipedia, demanding the removal of "objectionable" content related to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj from the online encyclopedia. The notice, issued under the Information Technology Act, claims the content is inaccurate and lacks proper references, potentially inciting communal hatred. The move follows recent claims by various organizations about the existence of defamatory information regarding Sambhaji Maharaj on Wikipedia, particularly in the wake of the Hindi film "Chhava", based on his life. The Maharashtra Cyber has directed the Wikimedia Foundation to remove the content promptly and prevent its re-uploading.
Maharashtra Cyber has registered a case against at least four editors of Wikipedia for not taking down 'objectionable' content on Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj from the open source encyclopedia, officials said on Friday.
As the year draws to a close, Rediff's Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya takes a look at the hits and misses, the highs and lows, the newsmakers and the dealbreakers in alphabetical order.
The year had a variety of films to choose from. Not all of them were successful at the box office, but had merit.
A major accident on the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway near Pune resulted in eight fatalities and 14 injuries after a car was crushed between two container trucks, leading to a large fire. The incident occurred on the accident-prone Navale Bridge.
Maharashtra Finance Minister Ajit Pawar presented the state budget, announcing the construction of numerous memorials dedicated to historical figures like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and others. These memorials aim to preserve and celebrate the legacy of these prominent figures, contributing to the state's cultural and historical landscape.
The move came after a Hindutva organization, Shiv Pratisthan, sent a memorandum to the Sangli collectorate demanding that Islampur's name be changed to Ishwarpur.
Vicky Kaushal makes a striking transformation as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in Chhaava.
'These Marathas are farmers and they only do farming. They have no other business other than farming. Now, they want reservations because farming is no longer a profitable business.'In this interview, veteran farmers' rights advocate and founding member of the Shetkari Sanghatna, Vijay Jawandhia, with Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff unpacks the historical and structural roots of the agitation.
The all-party delegation -- led by the Shiv Sena MP from Kalyan -- visited the UAE, Liberia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone and returned to New Delhi on June 4, 2025 after completing its Operation Sindoor diplomatic outreach.
Remarks by Congress and NCP (SP) leaders in Maharashtra suggesting the term 'Sanatani terrorist' have sparked a controversy, drawing strong criticism from the BJP, which accuses them of 'Hindu hatred' and 'appeasement politics'.
Chhaava deserves 2 stars for the historically half-baked film that it is, but 4 stars just for its attempt on making a film on Sambhaji, observes Prasanna D Zore.
Prashant Koratkar, a former journalist accused of using offensive language against Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his son Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, has been granted bail by a sessions court in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. Koratkar was arrested on March 24 and had been remanded in judicial custody. He was accused of threatening historian Indrajeet Sawant and making derogatory remarks against the revered historical figures. The sessions court granted him bail on a surety of Rs 50,000.
The Republican Party of India-Athawale leader said that removing Aurangzeb's tomb would not solve anything.
Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi's remarks praising Mughal emperor Aurangzeb sparked outrage in the Maharashtra legislature, leading to calls for his suspension and accusations of treason. The issue, which was politicized by both the ruling coalition and opposition parties, led to the adjournment of both Houses of the state legislature. Azmi later retracted his statements, saying they were twisted and that he had not made any derogatory remarks against Shivaji Maharaj or Sambhaji Maharaj. The BJP, however, seized the opportunity to slam the Congress and other opposition parties, accusing them of trying to "eradicate" Sanatan Dharma. The Mumbai police have initiated a probe into the matter, registering a case against Azmi for his remarks.
With 17 films crossing the Rs 100 crore mark in the first six months, this year relied less on big-ticket blockbusters.
Maharashtra minister Sanjay Shirsat has announced the renaming of Khultabad, the town where Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's tomb is located, to Ratnapur. The move comes after a demand from the minister, other state leaders, and right-wing groups for the removal of the tomb. The minister stated that many place names were changed during Aurangzeb's reign and the government plans to change the names of all places with "bad" in them. The government also plans to construct a memorial showcasing the history of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his son Sambhaji Maharaj in Khultabad.
Bhide, known as 'Bhide Guruji' among his followers, is accused of making offensive remarks about Mahatma Gandhi's lineage in his speech during a programme in Amravati district in the last week of July.
Loud music, bombastic action scenes, over-the-top dialogues that don't have any ring of truth to it followed by scenes of blood-oozing bodies floating in a river definitely don't make for a magnum opus!' exclaims Prasanna D Zore after watching the Chhaava trailer.
Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi was on Wednesday suspended from the Maharashtra legislative assembly till the ongoing budget session ends on March 26, over his remarks eulogizing Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
After a character and film like this, at least for a while, everything else Vicky Kaushal does will look bland, asserts Deepa Gahlot.
Katrina Kaif stood solidly by his side, as Vicky Kaushal hosted a special premiere for his new film, Chhaava.
'It was not our intention to hurt anyone's sentiments.'
Sambhaji is a lion but the movie was a damp squib, sighs Vishaka Rautela.
'Like me there are crores of Marathi people in the state hoping for this miracle to work.'
"I feel no one can reject the contribution of Maharashtra and Marathi people in the history and present of the country. If someone is rejecting it, then I feel it is wrong," Fadnavis said.
'She was so happy that she misses Chhaava now.'
Think you know all about Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, who takes centrestage in the blockbuster Chhaava?
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale has voiced his opposition to the demand for demolition of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's grave in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, saying its removal will not serve any purpose. Athawale said that since Aurangzeb was buried there, his tomb should remain undisturbed. The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar administration has barred Hindutva leader Milind Ekbote from entering the district from March 16 to April 5 amid calls from some outfits to remove Aurangzeb's grave. Security has been heightened around the site and visitors are being checked thoroughly.
Before the violence and rioting that erupted in Nagpur on Monday, March 17, over Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's tomb came provocative statements from various political leaders.
A Mumbai court has granted anticipatory bail to Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi in a case filed against him for his remarks praising Mughal ruler Aurangzeb. The court, however, cautioned Azmi to exercise restraint during interviews, warning that any irresponsible statement could spark riots. The case stems from Azmi's remarks during an interview where he praised Aurangzeb's rule and claimed that India's GDP during his reign accounted for 24 percent of the world's GDP. Azmi's lawyer argued that his client's statements were made spontaneously and without any malicious intent, while the prosecution opposed the bail plea, arguing that the remarks were made in a sensitive time following the release of a film based on the life of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, a revered Maratha king who was captured by Aurangzeb. The court noted that the investigation was at a preliminary stage and that the investigating officer did not have the video recording of the interview when the case was filed. The court also expressed concern over the potential for Azmi's remarks to incite violence.
Following calls for the removal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's grave, authorities in Maharashtra, India, have increased security at the site. Visitors are now required to show identification before entering. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has staged protests and submitted memorandums demanding the grave's removal, citing Aurangzeb's history of conflict with the Marathas and his persecution of other religious groups. The caretaker of the grave has maintained that the situation is peaceful and that visitor numbers have declined since the controversy arose.
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