Vicky Kaushal starrer Chhaava is roaring at the box office! Divya Dutta, who played the role of Soyarabai, the second wife of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, recently slammed netizens for criticising her co-star Rashmika Mandanna's performance as Yesubai Bhonsale, the wife of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. Despite not having any scenes together, Dutta stated that she believes Mandanna is an 'incredible' actor.

Speaking to India Today, Divya defended Rashmika and said, "If you look at her kohl-rimmed eyes in certain scenes, they are simply mesmerising. Let’s not forget that she has delivered several hits, which clearly means she has something that resonates with the audience. From what I know, she is a hardworking and genuinely sweet person. Mujhe toh bahut pyaari lagti hai, I don’t know what others think."

The 47-year-old actress further said that people will have different opinions regardless—some might feel they should have had a longer role in the film, while others might praise their strong presence. However, Divya stated that both she and Rashmika gave their best in Chhaava.

"Now the audience is doing theirs. What truly matters is that the film is performing well and is among the biggest blockbusters of the year—we should celebrate that," concluded Dutta.

Several netizens criticised Rashmika's dialogue delivery in Chhaava, pointing out that her thick South Indian accent while speaking Hindi seemingly made it difficult for her to carry the weight of the heavy dialogues.

Meanwhile, Chhaava has earned Rs 249.31 crores in its first week and continues to reign supreme at the global box office. The film is based on the life of the legendary Maratha ruler, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and is an adaptation of the Marathi novel Chhava by Shivaji Sawant.

The film is directed by Laxman Utekar and also stars Akshaye Khanna as Aurangzeb, Diana Penty as Zinat-un-Nissa Begum, Vineet Kumar Singh as Kavi Kalash, and Ashutosh Rana as Hambirrao Mohite.