Actor and director Riteish Deshmukh has recently addressed the intense speculation surrounding the financial scale of his latest historical epic, Raja Shivaji, which has been making waves at the box office since its release on May 1, 2026. While the film continues to draw large audiences, crossing the ₹55 crore mark within its first eight days, much of the public discourse has shifted toward its rumored production cost of ₹100 crore. In a recent conversation on the talk show The Right Angle, Riteish expressed his firm stance that the intricacies of a film’s budget should remain private between the creators and the producers. He remarked that the figures currently floating around in the media are purely speculative and emphasized that only those directly involved in the film’s funding are aware of the actual numbers. According to the filmmaker, discussing budgets is the last thing a creator should do, as such technicalities have no real impact on the cinematic experience or the quality of the storytelling.
Riteish further elaborated on how the industry has changed since his childhood, noting that audiences used to go to the theaters simply for the magic of the big screen without worrying about how much a project cost to make. He recalled watching legendary films like Sholay and never once questioning the financial breakdown of the production, as the focus remained entirely on entertainment and emotional connection. The director pointed out that the modern trend of making actor fees and production budgets a central part of film culture is a mistake fueled by the industry itself. He questioned the relevance of these numbers to the common moviegoer, suggesting that if a viewer pays a few hundred rupees for a ticket, that should be the only “budget” they concern themselves with. By shifting the focus away from the balance sheets, Riteish hopes to preserve the sense of wonder that cinema is meant to provide.
The historical drama, which features a star-studded cast including Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, and Genelia Deshmukh, is widely regarded as one of the most ambitious and expensive projects ever undertaken in Marathi cinema. Despite the rumors of high costs, Riteish also revealed that several of his colleagues and friends from the industry worked on the film without charging any professional fees, driven purely by their passion for the subject matter and the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. This collective effort has helped the film achieve high production values, including world-class VFX and grand sets, which have been praised by critics and fans alike. As Raja Shivaji enters its second weekend with strong momentum, Riteish’s comments serve as a reminder that the true value of a film lies in the audience’s acceptance and the impact of the story rather than the figures on a spreadsheet.
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