India, May 29 -- While actor Salman Khan draws praise for his surprise cameo as legendary Maratha warrior Jiva Mahale in Riteish Deshmukh's historical film Raja Shivaji which has crossed Rs.100 crore at the box office, the real descendants of 'the man who saved Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj' battle poverty, illness and neglect in a remote village in Satara district.

The irony isn't lost on historians and villagers alike. While Maharashtra continues to celebrate the bravery of Jiva Mahale - immortalised in the famous phrase, "Hota Jiva Mhanun Vachla Shiva" - his 14th generation descendants today are struggling for survival.

Pandurang Balkawade, noted historian and secretary of the Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal, described the role played ...