‘When a story is presented to you on a large screen, they will know there are a lot of things that are not shown in the history books.’
Key Points
- Riteish Deshmukh is delighted with the positive audience reception for his directorial Raja Shivaji.
- The film has seen strong organic promotion from audiences, with many taking multiple generations to watch it and sharing their experiences online.
- Raja Shivaji achieved a massive Rs 23.90 crore opening weekend, setting a new record for the biggest opening day grosser in Marathi cinema.
Actor and director Riteish Deshmukh expressed happiness over the positive response to his directorial Raja Shivaji, which released in theatres on May 1.
Riteish reflected on the emotional connection of his film with the viewers, highlighting how families, including grandparents and young children, are coming together to watch films based on historical figures like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
“When I see people taking their families, making groups, taking their grandparents, there are a lot of people who have never seen a film, they are taking their grandchildren. New parents, a one-year-old child and a two-year-old child feel that the first film of their life should be Raja Shivaji especially the film on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,” Riteish said.
“They are making their own videos by going inside. After going inside, everyone feels something. After coming out, they make a video and post it, telling you to watch this film.”
The organic promotion by the audience, Riteish added, is a rewarding moment for filmmakers, emphasising the importance of films in bringing history to life, especially for children, who often miss out on deeper details found in textbooks.
“I think this is the moment when the audience accepts a film. That feeling is very good for the makers because when the audience accepts a film, they themselves start promoting it. Nothing better than that for filmmakers like us.
“I think children should watch a film because we are limited to a few pages of history. I believe that when a story is presented to you on a large screen, they will know there are a lot of things that are not shown in the history books.
“To know all this, it is important to watch this film.”
Box Office Triumph
Raja Shivaji has delivered a thunderous start at the box office, rewriting record books for Marathi cinema with a massive Rs 23.90 crore opening weekend.
The film, which was released on May 1, has emerged as the biggest opening day grosser ever for a Marathi film, as per trade analyst Taran Adarsh.
According to Adarsh, the film has shown “super-strong” momentum since its release. Backed by the Maharashtra Day holiday, Raja Shivaji opened to an impressive Rs 12.40 crore on Friday, followed by a solid Rs 11.50 crore on Saturday. This brings its two-day total to Rs 23.90 crore across Marathi and Hindi versions.
The film boasts an ensemble cast, including Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Bhagyashree and Genelia Deshmukh in key roles. It also features Mahesh Manjrekar, Sachin Khedekar, Fardeen Khan, Jitendra Joshi and Amole Gupte.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
