Mahesh Manjrekar announced his next big-scale Marathi project titled Vedat Marathe Veer Daudale Saat last month. He stirred up the internet by revealing that Bollywood star Akshay Kumar will be playing the role of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the movie. The actor faced some backlash over it.
On Tuesday, Akshay Kumar unveiled his look as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj from the director’s project which will be produced by Vaseem Qureshi. Sharing the new look on his Instagram, he wrote, ”Today I am starting the shooting of Marathi film ‘Vedat Marathe Veer Daudale Sat’ in which I am lucky to be able to play the role of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ji. I will do my best by taking inspiration from her life and blessing of Mother Jijau! Keep your blessings on us.”
While his ardent fans congratulated him, many were disappointed with the casting choice. Fans quickly started mentioning actor Sharad Kelkar who had essayed the role of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the 2020 film Tanhaji. One netizen commented, ”Sharad Kelkar is the only one who can play Maharaj in the perfect way”.
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On the other hand, a fan believed Akshay Kumar’s lean physique does not suit the grand stature of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. They also believed Sharad Kelkar would have been a better option. Check out the tweets below.