The other hero, indeed super-hero, of the film is Emperor Shivaji, played superbly by filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar, whose cousin Santosh Manjrekar has directed it. He appears in the narrative in the same surreal but didactic way that Mahatma Gandhi does in Lage Raho Munnabhai. Just as the Mahatma teaches Munnabhai ‘Gandhigiri’, Shivaji, who shares the surname Bhosale with the film’s protagonist, teaches him ‘Shivajigiri’ - “Don’t blame outsiders for your problems. Rather, develop a positive attitude and excel in all that they are good at. Be proud of your name, your language, your history and your ethos. Do not berate others, but never let others berate you. Shed fear and be brave and determined to fight for your principles and ideals, even at the risk of your life.”

In the end King Shivaji Bhosale transforms Commoner Dinakar Bhosale (a brilliant performance by Sachin Khedekar) and turns this self-pitying Marathi Manoos into a fearless crusader for justice and dignity. The best part of the film-and this is where Raj Thackeray can learn a lesson or two to emerge as a reformed and more widely respected leader-is that Shivaji’s message is inclusive and not exclusive. It is not “anti-outsider”; rather, it exhorts that all the people living in Maharashtra, belonging to all caste, religious and linguistic backgrounds, should be treated justly and equally. The flip-side is also true: all of them, especially non-Marathi people, should be proud of being Maharashtrians. Thus, Shivaji, the great fighter for India’s national liberation that he was, re-appears in the modern era as a messenger of unity transcending the diversity of Mumbai and Maharashtra. Frankly, as Shivaji stood atop his imposing fort in the last scene of the film, surrounded by the majestic mountains of the Western Ghat, I bowed my head before this great warrior in redoubled gratitude and admiration.

... contd.