Director: V. Shantaram, Keshavrao Dhaiber; Writer: Baburao Pendharkar; Cinematographer: S. Fattelal, V. Damle; Cast: V. Shantaram, Baburao Pendharkar, Kamaladevi, Anant Apte, G.R. Mane, Ibrahim, Rahim Miya, K. Dhaiber, Yaghya the Dog
Summary: According to Shantaram (1986) this was the
first film which explicitly politicised the figure
of the enormously popular 17th-C. Maratha
emperor Shivaji (Shantaram), a staple figure of
the Marathi historical. Bhalji Pendharkar,
whose sound films would confirm Shivaji as a
contemporary icon, worked as a scenarist at
Prabhat at this time but his brother Baburao
received the script credit for this effort in
addition to a starring role. Shantaram played
the lead himself. a pattern he would often
repeat. The film was originally titled
Swarajyacha Toran (The Garlan of Freedom)
but the censors objected to the use of the word
'freedom' and forced many additional changes
after the premiere screening. Key scenes
included Shivaji's invocation of the goddess
Bhawani who blesses his sword, and Shivaji
putting up the saffron flag on the Sinhagad fort
at the film's climax, another point objected to
by the censors. Many of the battle scenes were
shot with two cameras.
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