Just as we celebrated the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, "Chhaava," the film made on his warrior son Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, is winning audiences in Maharashtra and across the country.
Helmed by Laxman Utekar, "Chhaava" is a cinematic adaptation of the Marathi novel Chhava by Shivaji Sawant. Laxman Utekar read about Sambhaji Maharaj during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was then that he was inspired to bring his story to life on the big screen. As much as the film has successfully charmed the audience, the book on which it is based is equally well-known and highly regarded in Marathi literary circles.
Shivaji Sawant was a renowned Marathi novelist. His mythological novel Mrityunjay, based on the Mahabharata character Karna, is considered a benchmark in Marathi literature. For this reason, Shivaji Sawant is often referred to as "Mrityunjaykar Sawant."
Born on August 31, 1940, in an ordinary farming family in Ajra village, Kolhapur district, Sawant was an excellent kabaddi player. Sawant worked as a clerk in the court and later became a teacher at Rajaram School in Kolhapur from 1962 to 1974.
After relocating to Pune, Sawant worked as the co-editor and later the editor of the magazine Lok Shikshan from 1974 to 1980, under the Education Department of the Government of Maharashtra. In 1983, he took voluntary retirement and devoted himself entirely to writing.
Sawant was the Vice President of Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad for a few years from 1995 and served as the President of the "Baroda Marathi Sahitya Sammelan" held in Baroda in 1983.
Sawant was stationed in Kurukshetra for an extended period to write Mrityunjay. Through years of research, contemplation, and meditation, he created a realistic and captivating novel that made Shivaji Sawant's name well-known across Maharashtra.
After Mrityunjay, Sawant wrote the historical novel Chhava and the mythological novel Yugandhar.
Several Marathi-Hindi plays based on Mrityunjay have also been staged. It is centered on the life of the great warrior Karna, known for his generosity, while Yugandhar focuses on the life of Lord Krishna. Shivaji Sawant won the Jnanpith Award in 1994 and is a famous Marathi writer who received the award for his novel Mrityunjay as well as the Sahitya Akademi Award.
Sawant was also a candidate for the post of president of the 76th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan to be held in Karad. However, while campaigning in Goa, Shivaji Sawant tragically passed away due to a massive heart attack in Madgaon.
Mrityunjay (Novel)
Chhava (Novel)
Yugandhar (Novel)
Kavadase
Kanchan Kan
Ladhat
Ashi Mane Ase Namune
Krantisihachi Gavran Boli (compilation)
Purushottamnama-Annasaheb P.K.Patil
Mrityunjay
Chhava
Glimpse of the Past
