Har Har Mahadev

2022 Marathi-language historical drama film

For the Sanskrit invocation to Shiva, see Hara Hara Mahadeva.

Har Har Mahadev

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Abhijeet Deshpande
Written by| Abhijeet Deshpande
Produced by|

* Zee Studios
* Sunil Phadtare

Starring|

* Subodh Bhave
* Sharad Kelkar
* Amruta Khanvilkar
* Nishigandha Wad

Narrated by| Raj Thackeray
Cinematography| Tribhuvan Babu Sadineni
Edited by| Kshitija Khandagale
Music by| Hitesh Modak

Production
companies

* Zee Studios
* Shree Ganesh Marketing And Films

Distributed by| Zee Studios

Release date

* 25 October 2022 (2022-10-25)

Running time

| 162 minutes
Country| India
Language| Marathi
Budget| ₹10–15 crore [1][2]
Box office| ₹25 crore (US$3.0 million)

Har Har Mahadev is a 2022 Indian Marathi-language epic historical action drama film written and directed by Abhijeet Deshpande and produced by Zee Studios along with Sunil Phadtare under the banner of Shree Ganesh Marketing And Films.[3] It stars Subodh Bhave as Shivaji I and Sharad Kelkar as Baji Prabhu Deshpande in lead while Amruta Khanvilkar, Nishigandha Wad, Sayali Sanjeev, Hardeek Joshi, Milind Shinde, Kishore Kadam, Nitish Chavan and Ashok Shinde plays important supporting roles. The film is about the inspiring story of Baji Prabhu Deshpande, a general of Shivaji I who, along with his army of 300 soldiers, fought against 12,000 Bijapuri soldiers.[4]

The film was released theatrically on 25 October 2022[5] and digitally in Hindi on 8 December 2022 on ZEE5.[6] The film collected gross of ₹25 crore (US$3.0 million), it became the third highest-grossing Marathi film of 2022.[7]

## Synopsis

[edit]

The film is about the inspirational story of a real battle in which only 300 soldiers, led by Baji Prabhu Deshpande, the commander of Shivaji fought against 12,000 Bijapuri soldiers in Battle of Pavan Khind.

## Cast

[edit]

* Subodh Bhave as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj alias the Maratha kingdom's founder and a Hindu warrior king who was known for his courage and the strategies to defeat Adilshahi and the Mughals in many of his battles.[8]
* Sharad Kelkar as Baji Prabhu Deshpande, the commander of Shivaji who anointed his own blood on the land of Swarajya.[9]
* Amruta Khanvilkar as Sonabai Deshpande, the homemaker who takes care of the house and passionately supports the warrior, wife of Baji Prabhu Deshpande.[10]
* Nishigandha Wad as Rajmata Jijaun alias Jijabai Bhonsle, the mother of Shivaji, a very powerful woman who laid the foundation of Swarajya.
* Sayali Sanjeev as Sai Bhonsale, Shivaji's strongest motivation, even though her health wasn't great.
* Hardeek Joshi as Abaji Vishwanath, the clever, courageous, loyal companion who supported Shivaji till the end in the battle of Swarajya.
* Nitish Chavan as Dhanaji Mhaskar, one of his many loyal, courageous and trustworthy Mavlas, who obeyed Shivaji's order.
* Milind Shinde as Siddi Johar, the cruel, intrigue traitor of Adil Shah the one who took the urge to kill Shivaji.
* Kishor Kadam as Tawji, the most talented and skilled blacksmith who produced weapons for Mavalas fighting Bandal Sena and Swarajya.
* Ashok Shinde as Fulaji Prabhu Deshpande, the Brave companion of Shivaji and elder brother of Baji Prabhu Deshpande.
* Sharad Ponkshe as Deshmukh
* Mohan Joshi as Dhondiba
* Swapnil Rajshekhar
* Atharva Bedekar
* Milind Shinde as Siddhi Johar
* Rohan Ekke
* Surendra Thakur
* Shrikant Yadav
* Sachin Shinde
* Snigdha Akolkar
* Sonali Patil
* Rajas Sule as Sada

## Soundtrack

[edit]

Har Har Mahadev

Soundtrack album by

Hitesh Modak

Released| 7 October 2022[11]
Recorded| 2022
Genre| Feature film soundtrack
Length| 12:19
Language| Marathi
Label| Zee Music Company
Hitesh Modak chronology
| Antim: The Final Truth
(2021)  | Har Har Mahadev
(2022)  | Vedat Marathe Veer Daudle Saat
(TBA)

|
|

Official audio
Har Har Mahadev - Full Album on YouTube

The music of the film is composed by Hitesh Modak and lyrics are written by Mangesh Kangane and Mandar Cholkar.

Track listingNo.| Title| Lyrics| Singer(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "Wah Re Shiva"| Mangesh Kangane| Sid Sriram| 4:06
2.| "Har Har Mahadev - Title Track"| Mangesh Kangane| Shankar Mahadevan, Hitesh Modak| 4:12
3.| "Baaji Ra"| Mandar Cholkar| Manish Rajgire| 3:47
Total length:| 12:19

## Marketing and release

[edit]

The teaser of the film was released on 4 March 2022, which included a voice-over given by Raj Thackeray.[12] The trailer of the film was released on 10 October 2022 and received 5 million views in less than 24 hours on YouTube.[13]

### Theatrical

[edit]

The film was released theatrically on 25 October 2022.[14] It also became the first Marathi film to be released in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada languages.[15][16]

### Home media

[edit]

The film was released on 9 December 2022 on ZEE5.[17]

## Reception

[edit]

Har Har Mahadev met with critical acclaim, with emphasis on the direction, the cast's performance, cinematography, visual effects, and emotional weight.

Subhash K Jha of IWM Buzz gave 4 out of 5 stars and wrote, “Go for this disarming tryst with history with open arms. It is an experience of a lifetime. Powerful and persuasive, with some sequences designed to cause goosebumps.” Shalmesh More of Koimoi.com rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote “Har Har Mahadev is driven by a story that has already been told but still deserves your watch on the big screen due to its emotional treatment. It's more than a war drama!”[18] Mihir Bhanage of The Times of India gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and said, “The film succeeds in creating a big-screen spectacle, but the repeat value in the story dampens the spirit.”[19]

Shaheen Irani of OTTplay rated 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, “Har Har Mahadev is a cinematic brilliance in the last hour of the film. Up to that point, you are only trying to figure out where the story is headed and where will it lead to. Even then, although the visuals are beyond appealing, the music is not.”[20] Mayur Sanap of Rediff.com calls it a “emotionally-charged war drama” and appreciated the cast. Overall he wrote “Har Har Mahadev is not without flaws and had the potential for much more. But credit to Director Deshpande for attempting to make the tale layered and emotionally moving.” with rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars.[21] Sameer Ahire of Movie Talkies criticised direction but appreciated Kelkar, Khanvilkar, and Sanjeev's performance and wrote, “Sharad Kelkar's Electrifying Act Saves The Mediocre Vision Of Abhijeet Deshpande In This Legendary Tale.” gave 2.5 stars out of 5.[22] Likewise, Film Information gave positive reviews, noting Deshpande's impactful direction, dialogues, Sadineni's camerawork but criticised the editing.[23]

## Controversy

[edit]

Following the release of the trailer, the Bandal descendants objected to the trailer and submitted a detailed complaint letter two days before the film's premiere, alleging that the film is based on a false history.[24] Within a week after the film's release, Amol Mitkari of the Nationalist Congress Party and politician Sambhaji, the 13th direct descendant of Shivaji, and their outfit Swarajya Sanghatan criticized it as misleading historical revisionism.[25][26] On 7 November 2022, MLA Jitendra Awad and NCP workers shut down the film's screening in Thane's Viviana Mall. A fan was also assaulted by an activists.[27] The film's director clarified his position on this matter during a press conference, stating that the film is based on historical sources and has been submitted to the Censor Board.[28][29]

## Accolades

[edit]

Award  | Date of Ceremony  | Category  | Recipient(s)  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

Maharashtracha Favourite Kon? | 20 January 2023  | Favourite Film | Har Har Mahadev | Nominated  | [30]
Favourite Director | Abhijeet Deshpande  | Nominated
Favourite Actor | Sharad Kelkar | Nominated
Favourite Supporting Actress | Amruta Khanvilkar | Nominated
Favourite Villain | Milind Shinde | Nominated
Zee Chitra Gaurav Puraskar | 13 March 2023  | Best Art Director  | Satish Chipkar, Rakesh Kadam, Sachin Patil  | Won  | [31]
Best Costume | Nachiket Barve | Won
Filmfare Awards Marathi | 30 March 2023  | Best Actor | Sharad Kelkar | Nominated  | [32]
Best Costume | Nachiket Barve | Nominated
Maharashtra State Film Awards | 5 August 2025 | Best Film III | Har Har Mahadev | Won  | [33][34]
Best Social Film | Nominated
Best Director III | Abhijeet Deshpande  | Won
Best Social Film Director  | Nominated
Best Supporting Actor | Subodh Bhave | Nominated
Best Music  | Hitesh Modak  | Nominated
Best Sound Mixing  | Lochan Kanvinde  | Won

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Kadam, Ganesh Pandurang. "Har Har Mahadev: बॉक्सऑफिसवर 'हर हर महादेव'ची गर्जना; अवघ्या चार दिवसांत…". Hindustan Times Marathi (in Marathi). Retrieved 12 August 2024.
2. ^ Bhosale, Divya. "Box Office Report: Ram Setu, Thank God or Har Har Mahadev, which film proved to be a hit?". Asianet News. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
3. ^ "Har Har Mahadev Movie - Marathi - Times of India". Times of India.[dead link]
4. ^ "'Har Har Mahadev' Becomes The First Marathi Film To Be Released In Tamil, Telugu, Kannada". www.outlookindia.com. 7 October 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
5. ^ "Subodh Bhave's Next Marathi Film Har Har Mahadev to Release on This Date". News18. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
6. ^ "ZEE5 announces the World Digital Premiere of 'Har Har Mahadev'". www.adgully.com. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
7. ^ Team, BoxOfficeBusiness (2 November 2022). "Har Har Mahadev Day 8 Box Office Collection". Retrieved 2 March 2025. `{{cite web}}`: `|first=` has generic name (help)
8. ^ "सुबोध भावे छत्रपती शिवरायांच्या भूमिकेत, 'हर हर महादेव' घुमणार या दिवशी!". Maharashtra Times (in Marathi). Retrieved 10 October 2022.
9. ^ Bureau, The Hindu (2 October 2022). "'Har Har Mahadev': Sharad Kelkar's first look as Baji Prabhu Deshpande out". ISSN 0971-751X. `{{cite web}}`: `|last=` has generic name (help)
10. ^ "'Har Har Mahadev': Character posters of Amruta Khanvilkar as 'Sonabai Deshpande' and Sayali Sanjeev as 'Maharani Sai Bai Bhosale' is out!". The Times of India. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
11. ^ Har Har Mahadev (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, YouTube Music
12. ^ "'Har Har Mahadev': Raj Thackrey gives voiceover for the teaser of Abhijeet Deshpande's upcoming historical film- watch". Times of India. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
13. ^ "`Har Har Mahadev` trailer: Sharad Kelkar and Subodh Bhave starrer crosses 5 million views in less than 24 hours". Zee News. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
14. ^ "Zee Studios' Har Har Mahadev to release this Diwali 2022". News9. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
15. ^ "'Har Har Mahadev' Becomes The First Marathi Film To Release In Five Languages". Outlook. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
16. ^ "Sharad Kelkar reveals why Har Har Mahadev is releasing as pan-India film, says 'Maratha history didn't...' | Exclusive". DNA India. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
17. ^ "Sharad Kelkar's Har Har Mahadev gets OTT release date". The Indian Express. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
18. ^ More, Shalmesh (25 October 2022). "Har Har Mahadev Movie Review: Subodh Bhave-Sharad Kelkar Starrer Focuses More On The Human Side Of A Warrior & It's A Welcoming Change!". Koimoi. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
19. ^ Har Har Mahadev Movie Review: Succeeds in creating a big-screen spectacle, but the story's repeat value dampens the spirit, retrieved 8 November 2022
20. ^ "Har Har Mahadev review: Subodh Bhave-Sharad Kelkar's film is almost good". OTTPlay. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
21. ^ SANAP, MAYUR. "Har Har Mahadev Review: Emotionally-Charged War Drama". Rediff. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
22. ^ Ahire, Sameer (26 October 2022). "Har Har Mahadev Review - Sharad Kelkar's Electrifying Act Saves The Mediocre Vision Of Abhijeet Deshpande In This Legendary Tale - Movie Talkies". www.movietalkies.com. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
23. ^ Information, Film. "'HAR HAR MAHADEV' (MARATHI) REVIEW | 25 October 2022 – Film Information". Retrieved 8 November 2022.
24. ^ "Har Har Mahadev: हर हर महादेव चित्रपट वादात, चुकीचा इतिहास पसरवला जात असल्याने आक्षेप". Sakal (in Marathi). Retrieved 21 January 2023.
25. ^ "'सिनेमॅटिक लिबर्टीच्या नावानं चित्रपटात काही पण दाखवायचं?' संभाजीराजेंनी उपस्थित केलेले मुद्दे". ABP Majha (in Marathi). 6 November 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
26. ^ "Har Har Mahadev Controversy: 'हर हर महादेव' सिनेमा वादाच्या भोवऱ्यात; आमदार मिटकरींनी घेतला मोठा आक्षेप". Saam TV (in Marathi). Retrieved 21 January 2023.
27. ^ "Jitendra Awhad again in controversy, the audience who came to see 'Har Har Mahadev' was beaten up by NCP workers News WAALI". Retrieved 21 January 2023.
28. ^ "'हर हर महादेव' सिनेमाच्या वादावर दिग्दर्शक अभिजीत देशपांडेंनी भूमिका स्पष्ट करत विरोधकांना सुनावलं; 'त्यांच्याकडूनच अपमान झाल्याने शिवरायांसह महाराष्ट्राच्या माफी' ची मागणी". LatestLY (in Marathi). 8 November 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
29. ^ "Explained: Controversy Over Marathi Film 'Har Har Mahadev' Depicting Chhatrapati Shivaji". IndiaTimes. 24 November 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
30. ^ Bhirvandekar, Harshada. "Maharashtracha Favourite Kon: यंदा कोण ठरणार 'महाराष्ट्राचा फेवरेट'? नामांकनं जाहीर!". Hindustan Times Marathi (in Marathi). Retrieved 21 January 2023.
31. ^ "Zee Chitra Gaurav 2023: कुणाला मिळणार 'झी चित्र गौरव' २०२३ पुरस्कार.. नामांकन यादी जाहीर." eSakal - Marathi Newspaper (in Marathi). Retrieved 27 March 2023.
32. ^ "Nominations announced for the Planet Marathi presents Filmfare Awards Marathi 2022". filmfare.com. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
33. ^ Gurav, Minal (6 August 2025). "आणि विजेते आहेत... Maharashtra State Marathi Film Awards 2025, विनर्सची संपूर्ण लिस्ट". news18marathi.com (in Marathi). Retrieved 6 August 2025.
34. ^ "६० व्या राज्य मराठी चित्रपट पुरस्कारासाठी नामांकने जाहीर". www.mahamtb.com (in Marathi). Retrieved 1 February 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Har Har Mahadev at IMDb
* Har Har Mahadev on ZEE5

*[No.]: Number
*[Ref.]: References