Films centred around the Maratha empire have been a favourite subject for Marathi filmmakers. They often tell the story of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. These make for an interesting watch with all the planning, plotting, interesting twists leading to the defeat of the enemies of the Marathas.

Raigadacha Rajbandi (the political prisoner of Raigad) belongs to the same genre but the plot is unusual. Raja Badhe is the producer as well as the lyricist. Raja Thakur is the director.

---

The Plot

The film’s focus is on Sambhaji Raje’s character (the son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj). Sambhaji Raje (Chittaranjan Kolhatkar) is held captive by the Mughals. He is being forced to accept Alamgir i.e. Aurangzeb’s authority. He is promised gifts and luxuries if he shifts his allegiance to the Mughals. They torture a dummy in front of him to demonstrate what lies in his fate if he refuses. Sambhaji Raje refuses to bend and would rather accept death than compromise his principles. Left alone to ponder the consequences, he calls someone called Sati Godavari to make an appearance. Who is she, we come to know through a flashback.

Sambhaji Raje is out hunting deer when he arrives at a river, a bit exhausted and thirsty. There he sees Godavari (Sulochana) out to fetch water with her younger sister Krishna (Nayan). Godavari recognises him and offers him water. During the brief interaction, he is taken in by her beauty and demeanor.

The next day, he is shown handling his daily duties as the administrator of Raigad. He arrives in the court to meet people and sort matters. Then he is shown testing some guns, to be purchased from the firangis (foreigners). But he has not forgotten Godavari.

Godavari is the daughter of Hari Pandit. She is staying with her parents but will be going to her in laws place in a few days. It is not clear if she is newly married. [Note, her younger sister is played by Reema Lagoo who started her career as a child actor.]

Godavari goes with Krishna to fetch water where she encounters Sambhaji Raje again. He wants to thank her for her services and as a reward, he flings a valuable necklace towards her. As it happens in movies, it lands around Godavari’s neck. She is shocked at the behaviour. Krishna tells him that Godavari is going to her in laws place tomorrow and she will miss her.

He doesn’t know how to react and leaves without a word. He spends a restless night lost in the thoughts of Godavari and her impending departure. He is convinced that she is not happy with her in laws. She is eager to meet him again. They both want to spend time with each other. He longs for her company. The decision is made. Next day, he ambushes the palanquin procession and abducts Godavari. She is brought to the fort.

At the fort, he offers to marry her. But she delivers a long lecture and asks him to stay away from her. He obliges. Even his shadow would not be touching her against her wishes. The days go by. Godavari mellows down as Sambhaji Raje keeps his word; he treats her respectfully, always maintaining a distance between them.

But all is not normal in Godavari’s house. Godavari’s mother is furious at Sambhaji Raje’s behaviour. She sets to go and confront him but her husband stops her. Later, Hari Pandit and Krishna go to meet Rajmata Jijabai (Durga Khote), the grandmother of Sambhaji Raje. Hari Pandit is tongue tied. How can he reveal the abductor’s name in front of Sambhaji Raje’s grandmother?

After much coaxing, the young Krishna blurts out Sambhaji Raje’s name. The necklace is handed over as proof. Rajmata Jijabai is shaken and promises action. A faithful servant called Dharaai (Mai Bhide), who was the governess of the young Sambhaji seeks forgiveness. Dharaai also meets Sambhaji Raje to understand what happened and the reason behind his rash behaviour.

It doesn’t take time for the news to reach Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (Chandrakant Gokhale). He goes to meet Rajmata Jijabai. They have a long conversation on Sambhaji Raje’s behaviour. Both of them attempt to accept responsibility for his actions. After all they were responsible to look after him after his mother passed away when he was 2 years old. Is the father responsible or the grandmother? A crime has been committed and justice needs to be ensured.

Finally, the day of the decision arrives. There is an altercation between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Sambhaji Raje. The father is about to behead the son when Godavari rushes in to stop him. She speaks in favour of Sambhaji Raje. Agreed, he had abducted her but after that he has treated her respectfully. She has no complaints.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj then decides to blind Sambhaji’s eyes in order to teach him a lesson. Sambhaji Raje agrees but Ramdas Swami steps in and stops the act. Sambhaji Raje is made the prisoner of Raigad.

Arrangements are made to send Godavari to her in laws’ house. But she has other plans. She does not want to burden her family with the consequences of what happened to her. People are bound to talk and she wants to avoid that at all costs. What will she do? What solution does she offer?

The Music

Raja Badhe is the lyricist while D.P. Koregaonkar (K. Datta) is the music director. The songs are melodious and well rendered. Suman Kalyanpur sings 3 songs (He vrindavan sangte satichi katha, Sutena maherachi mithi and Anand mani maeena). Asha Bhosle sings Sakali uthuni mukh pahava aaicha and Chalali Godavari. There is also a short song Chashme paimana uthale (by Mubarak Begum). The climax features a powada by Pirajirao Sarnaik narrating Sambhaji Raje’s story.

My Thoughts

The film is different from what you would normally expect from this genre. There is no plotting from the Maratha’s enemies (Adilshah, Nizam, or the Mughals) and the fitting response given by the Marathas. The thrill is missing. That itself is a disappointment.

There are many long scenes with the characters mouthing expressive dialogues. At times the movie resembles a play making it tedious to watch. You wish there was less dialogue and more action. The solution at the end may be relevant to the times but leaves the viewer with a debatable question – is justice really delivered? The message is not clear. Most of the cast are well known names. Sulochana stands out with her impressive performance.