Raj More’s Khalid Ka Shivaji was meant to be released in cinemas on August 8 last year. The Marathi movie ran into trouble in the real world for the same reasons as the young hero in the fictional plot: the simple and yet increasingly controversial message that the Maratha emperor Shivaji stood for social harmony and did not discriminate on the basis of faith, caste or class.
This was the lesson that generations of Indians learnt in school until recently. But the Chhatrapati, the single-most powerful icon of Maharashtrian pride, has been co-opted by Hindutva forces and declared a Hindu king. Khalid Ka Shivaji had the temerity to include lines of dialogue by Rajkumar Tangade about Shivaji’s benevolence towards non-Hindus and the pursuit of sovereignty being more important than religion.
Protests by Hindutva groups ensured that Khalid Ka Shivaji was not released despite being cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification. The movie can now be rented on the BookMyShow Stream platform.
Khalid Ka Shivaji is set in a typical small town in Maharashtra. There are water supply problems and bad roads, but the sarpanch wants to build a temple. Both Hindu and Muslim residents politely push back against the proposal. Not for the first time does the movie suggest that ordinary people are far more sensible than their rulers.
In school, 11-year-old Khalid (Krish More) is enchanted by Shivaji’s decisive defeat of his adversary Afzal Khan. The teacher, Salve (Kailash Waghmare), makes history come alive for his students, perhaps a bit too much so. A bullying classmate calls Khaled “Afzal Khan” – a Muslim, and therefore an enemy. Khalid suddenly and brutally discovers religion.
His family is poor and not particularly observant. His parents and his beloved grandmother (Sushma Deshpande) don’t insist on the boy following much ritual. But every time Khalid goes to school and is called Afzal Khan, he wrestles with a burden too heavy for his young shoulders.
The progressive school teacher Salve emerges as an important character. “The ones who don't have history don’t have a present,” Salve tells his students, a message that is lost on at least some of them.
Salve is troubled by Khalid’s treatment. To Khalid’s innocent query, “Was Afzal Khan a Muslim?” Salve replies, “What does it matter?” But it has begun to matter a lot for the boy, who sees divisions where none existed.
Raj More’s movie isn’t as preachy or heavy-handed as it sounds. Through light humour, engaging characters and charming performances, More tackles important questions about prejudice, the communalisation of history and the true significance of Shivaji in the present. By making a Muslim character suffer despite being an enthusiastic adherent of Shivaji’s values, More brings out the increasing religious polarisation in Maharashtra.
Muslims in the state are often derogatorily referred to as Afzal Khan. Khalid Ka Shivaji, in its own modest and earnest way, invites viewers to examine how bigotry can begin in the most casual way, and why it needs to be addressed.
The 112-minute film takes pains to portray Shivaji’s reign in the seventeeth century as glorious, tolerant and beneficial to all subjects. The contrast with the current situation is stark. When Khalid’s father observes, “A true king puts humanity over religion,” Khalid wistfully says, “We should have been around at that time.”
You’ve read Scroll.
Now help sustain it
Scroll is funded by readers, not corporate owners. If you believe our work matters, support our newsroom. Become a member today!
We’re not driven by clicks or corporate interests – just honest, independent reporting. Keep us going. Support Scroll today!