When superstar Akshay Kumar unveiled his look as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Mahesh Manjrekar’s upcoming movie about the great Maratha warrior, social media users had a mixed reaction to the actor’s efforts. Some asked if electric lightbulbs existed in the 17th century, while others begged him not to “ruin” another historical figure. The Bollywood actor also found support from his ardent fans and colleague Ajay Devgn. Akshay announced Tuesday that he had started filming his debut Marathi film, Vedat Marathe Veer Daudle Saat, and hours later posted a clip of his first look as Shivaji Maharaj to Instagram.
Soon, social media users began analyzing the film’s look and production design. Some eagle-eyed netizens shared screenshots of the chandelier in the video, which appeared to be lit by incandescent bulbs.
“Has Shree Chhatrapati Shivaji onions in his kingdom? 1674? Do your research man! (sic),” one user commented on Akshay’s Instagram post.
Shivaji was born in 1630 and is known for his bravery, military genius and leadership. He died in 1680.
Another emphasized that the lightbulb wasn’t invented until 1879, writing, “Uss time jhumar mein Bulb lagate the kya?” With over 16,000 tweets, Akshay’s name remained trending on Twitter as of Wednesday afternoon.
In an apparent reference to the box office and critical debacle of Akshay’s “Samrat Prithviraj,” a big-budget action film about legendary warrior king Prithviraj Chauhan, an Instagram user urged the actor “not to ruin this one.” Colleague Ajay took to Twitter to express his excitement about the film. “Dear @akshaykumar, I look forward to seeing you in the role of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the Marathi film Vedat Marathe Veer Daudle Saat. He is my favorite Maratha hero and I am delighted that another film will be made that honors this great warrior,” Ajay wrote on Twitter. Akshay, who has yet to respond to the criticism, replied to Ajay, “Thank you, bhai,” wrote an Akshay fan on the microblogging site.
A fan page of the National Award winner shared a tweet: “Our love, respect and blessings always (sic) be with you sir. Good luck @akshaykumar paaji.” “All the best sir, please play this role with full dedication. There are many emotions associated with this great personality,” said another fan on Twitter.
There were also those who suggested the name of the actor Sharad Kelkar for the role of Shivaji. Kelkar had made famous the role of the Maratha chief in the 2020 film Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, fronted by Ajay.
”Which do you prefer? As with Akshay Kumar. RT for Sharad Kelker. #AkshayKumar #sharadkelkar (sic)” posted a social media user.
“Only Marathi actors can portray the character of Shivaji Maharaj. I don’t think any Bollywood actor is cut out for it (sic),” said another.
Produced by Vaseem Qureshi, Vedat Marathe Veer Daudle Saat is set to hit theaters in Marathi, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu on Diwali 2023.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
