PUNE: The Sinhagad fort near Pune is seeing a rush of visitors following the release of Hindi film ‘Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior’ on January 10.
The blockbuster movie is based on the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s general Tanaji Malusare. The movie has turned the fort into a tourist hotspot.
Normally in January, there are a few visitors at the fort either due to the winter season or due to the beginning of the examination season. But ‘Tanhaji’ has generated a curiosity among the people to know more about Tanaji Malusare, who laid down his life during the battle of Sinhagad at the age of 70 years.
Balasaheb Jivade, a forest official, said, “Usually, there are less visitors at the fort. But there was a huge rush last Saturday and Sunday at the fort.”
He said, “We used to collect around Rs 35,000 as entry fees from the two- and four-wheeler owners visiting the fort. However, we collected Rs 50,000 last Sunday, which is higher than our expectation.”
“Due to a large number of tourists on Sunday, there were traffic snarls on the ghat road. Therefore, several vehicles were diverted on Kondhanpur road to clear the traffic mess,” said Jivade.
Deputy sarpanch of Sinhagad village Amol Padhare said, “We got to know from our people, who worked as tourist guide at the fort, that many tourists who visited the fort were enquiring about Tanaji Kada, Koliwada and other details associated with Tanaji Malusare’s life.”
He said, “Though people get attracted to the fort, more people are visiting the fort after the release of the movie.
