Vicky Kaushal recently said his wife, actor Katrina Kaif, was kind and supportive during the filming of his upcoming movie Chhaava as she understood that certain performances require mental and emotional space.
Directed by Laxman Utekar, Chhaava will see Vicky in the role of Maratha emperor Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, who was the son of Maratha empire founder Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It is produced by Dinesh Vijan of Maddock Films.
For Vicky, the movie marks the third time he is stepping into the shoes of a historical character, after playing revolutionary Udham Singh in Sardar Udham and India's first Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw in Sam Bahadur.
"I have done biopics before, and each comes with its own responsibility. But with this character, there is a deep sense of faith attached, and you cannot take liberties with that. Fortunately, Dinoo (producer Dinesh Vijan) sir and Laxman sir had enough time to research,” the 36-year-old actor told reporters at a promotional event for the movie in the national capital. He was joined by Laxman, co-star Rashmika Mandanna and producer Dinesh.
"It's an intense character and when you will see the film, you will know it's not easy to be a character like that," he said. The actor said he usually doesn't bring his characters home but during the making of Chhaava, there were moments where he became quieter as his mind was still processing the role.
"There were intense scenes, sometimes there were action scenes. So, once you are home after 12 hours of shooting, you just fall on the bed. Whatever time was there for personal life, it was little,” he said.
"Katrina being from the same industry, she understands that when intense parts like these are there, then some space is required. So, she was very kind, sweet and patient. I don't bring the characters home but I used to get a bit quiet because the mind is in that zone, it keeps on going what I did today and what I will do tomorrow. Otherwise, there was not much difference. Everything was pretty normal," he said.
Vicky said it is unfortunate that though people know a lot about Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, many are not aware about his son, Sambhaji.
"Everyone knows about him (Shivaji) but not about his son, who took his legacy forward and gave such a sacrifice that eventually ended the Mughal empire. His story isn't widely known around the world, and our attempt is to bring it forward so it reaches a global audience,” he said.
"We have had such heroes born in our country who made immense sacrifices. It's important to know their stories. I always say that in the West, superheroes have to be imagined, but we have our own heroes. We hope the audience showers love not on us, but on Chhaava,” he said.
Also starring Rashmika Mandanna, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty and Ashutosh Rana, Chhaava is scheduled to be released in theatres on Friday.