Just days after the successful release of his historical magnum opus Raja Shivaji, actor-turned-director Riteish Deshmukh has opened up about the grueling ten-year journey that almost led him to abandon his dream project entirely.
The film, which chronicles the early life and founding of the Maratha Empire by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, hit theaters on May 1, 2026, to coincide with Maharashtra Day. While the movie is currently shattering records as the most expensive Marathi film ever made, Deshmukh revealed in a recent interview that the road to the silver screen was paved with significant setbacks that nearly broke his resolve.
The project was first conceived and announced as far back as 2016. However, the production faced a revolving door of challenges. Over the years, acclaimed directors like Ravi Jadhav and Nagraj Manjule were attached to helm the epic, but creative differences and logistical hurdles caused the film to stall repeatedly.
Deshmukh admitted that by 2019, the project seemed to be moving forward again, only for the global COVID-19 pandemic to halt progress for several more years.
“I feel relieved because this ten-year journey was incredibly long,” Deshmukh stated during a press interaction. “There were many times where I simply gave up on it. I thought maybe it just wasn’t meant to be. But the story kept coming back to me. It’s a project that wouldn’t let me sleep.”
Despite the frustration of the delays, the filmmaker now views the long wait as a strategic advantage. He explained that if the film had been produced in 2016, it would have been a much smaller production with a different vision and cast.
The decision to wait allowed the scale of the project to grow. By the time filming finally began in 2023, Deshmukh had decided to take the director’s chair himself, supported by his wife and the film’s producer, Genelia Deshmukh. Together, they expanded the scope into a massive bilingual production, attracting a star-studded cast including Sanjay Dutt as Afzal Khan, Abhishek Bachchan as Sambhaji Shahaji Bhonsale, and Vidya Balan as Badi Begum.
“The fact that it started in 2023 allowed our vision to change,” Deshmukh added. “We thought, why not make it bigger, more ambitious, and give it the grand canvas that the history of Maharaj deserves?”
The perseverance appears to have paid off. Since its release, Raja Shivaji has become a cultural phenomenon. Within its first week, the film has neared the ₹50 crore mark in domestic net collections, a historic feat for a Marathi-led production.
The film has been particularly praised for its emotional depth and the performance of Riteish Deshmukh in the titular role. A significant highlight for fans has been the special appearance of Salman Khan as Jiva Mahale. Notably, Deshmukh revealed that many of the high-profile actors involved in the project chose to work for free out of respect for the historical legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
The production team spent over three years on research, extracting narratives from multiple historical texts such as Shivcharitra and Shree Shivbharat to ensure the film maintained historical dignity.
While the film was initially discussed as a potential trilogy, Deshmukh is currently focusing on the immediate success of this release. He noted that the film’s primary goal was to serve as an educational and inspiring experience for the younger generation.
“This is not just a movie; it is a tribute,” he said. “Seeing families and children in theaters learning about the superhero we all grew up with is the greatest reward after ten years of waiting.” To know such
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