Raja Shivaji Review: Riteish Deshmukh Fares Better As Director Than Actor

Riteish Deshmukh’s Shivaji may not be a flawless portrayal, but remains engaging throughout, applauds Mayur Sanap.

‘What truly makes a king?’ This powerful question drives Riteish Deshmukh’s rousing epic Raja Shivaji, where he shines more as a director than as an actor.

We see a young Shivaji (played by Riteish-Genelia’s elder son Rahyl Deshmukh) come face to face with this question when he witnesses the pain of villagers suffering under the harsh Adilshahi rule in 17th century Pune.

In that moment, innocence meets harsh reality, and a deeper understanding begins to take shape.

When injustice grows and silence is no longer an option, the path of vidroh (rebellion) calls. This early experience shapes Shivaji’s spirit at an impressionable age, building the foundation of a leader who dedicated his life to establish the strong principle of Swarajya (self-rule).

For a film about the life of the great Maratha leader Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Raja Shivaji takes an interesting approach by exploring what truly sets apart a ruler from a real king.

Raja Shivaji‘s action-packed plot

The legendary saga of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is obviously far too vast to be captured in a single film. Riteish, and his writing partners Ajit Wadekar and Sandeep Patil are fully aware of this, so instead of trying to cover everything, they chose to focus on the Battle of Pratapgarh, where Shivaji Maharaj defeated Afzal Khan, marking a turning point for the Maratha empire.

The film begins before Shivaji’s rise to power. Shah Jahan (a hardly there Fardeen Khan) is trying to extend his rule over India, as Adil Shah (Amole Gupte) tries to push back against his dominance.

This happens during a turbulent time in Maratha history, where Shahaji Raje Bhosale (Sachin Khedekar) is constantly defending his land against powerful forces like the Shahs, Nizams, and Mughals.

As Shivaji grows up, he becomes a powerful figure and a real threat to the Adil Shahi dynasty. In an effort to counter him, careful plans are put in place, influenced by Adil Shah’s wife Khadija Sultana (a strangely hammy Vidya Balan).

As tensions rise, Afzal Khan (a surprisingly effective Sanjay Dutt), the general of the Adil Shahi dynasty, is sent to confront Shivaji.

The story of Raja Shivaji unfolds in chapters, marked by titles like Rakht Ani Rakh (Blood And Ash), Ditya (Answer of Prayers), Pralay (Catastrophe), Buddhibal (A game of chess) that add a sense of urgency to the narrative, much like Dhurandhar, as the film moves forward across eight chapters.

Riteish Deshmukh’s Direction Is Impressive

Director Riteish Deshmukh does a solid job of laying out the many characters and their storylines in a clear and connected way, without letting them overlap or get confusing, which is often a challenge in historical films.

But apart from the Shivaji-Afzal showdown, most of the other characters remain in the background of the main story. Still, Riteish ensures that each key character gets at least one strong moment to make their presence felt.

This goes very well for Genelia’s Saibai, Maharaj’s wife, who died at a young age due to a prolonged illness. There’s still a long way for Genelia to fully ace the Marathi accent, and to make matters worse, she has been given quite a few poetic lines. But when she playfully says ‘Cheshta Pure (stop teasing me now)’, you can’t help but smile because Genelia, the actor, is just so charming.

Then, in a more emotional moment, she quietly accepts her fate and says, ‘In the next life, I just want you and me.’

This moment brings unexpected warmth, as the real-life couple’s chemistry makes their on-screen pairing even more heartfelt.

One of the most powerful scenes comes right after the interval.

Shivaji is devastated after learning about his brother’s death at Afzal Khan’s hands, but he cannot find the strength to tell his mother (Bhagyashree as Jijabai). When he finally stands before her, his tearful eyes say it all, and she understands what has happened.

There are no dialogues in this moment, only Ajay-Atul’s sombre music carrying the heightened emotions.

The scene then shifts as Jijabai gathers herself, and with calm strength she tells Shivaji, ‘Aamhala Khan cha mastak pahije, Shivba (Bring me the head of Khan, Shivba).’

Goosebumps!

In another film, this moment could easily have turned overly dramatic, but Riteish shows surprising restraint. He stays true to the subject and avoids unnecessary larger-than-life treatment, unlike Chhaava. He understands that greatness is already built into the story of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, so he presents it with a subtle, more controlled sense of grandeur.

Even the much-talked-about superstar cameo, who appears wearing a saffron kurta and pheta, serves the character rather than his star image.

What is most impressive is how the film avoids the Hindu-Muslim binary, something that’s often seen in mainstream Bollywood historical dramas (Even Ashutosh Gowariker’s Panipat couldn’t avoid that). Here, religion is treated more with a matter-of-factness rather than the source of conflict, which feels like a refreshing change.

A few glitches in Raja Shivaji

A few action sequences do stick to the tried-and-tested format though, especially with the way Riteish’s heroic shots are presented.

The emergence of Shivaji Maharaj, where fire tears through his Barabandi Angarkha to reveal armour underneath, is strikingly similar to a well-known moment from Baahubali 2 featuring Prabhas. Ditto, when he slits the throat of a traitor with his sword.

The action sequences in the first half (Abhishek Bachchan dominates these scenes) are heavily stylised but start to test your patience because these moments often feel like fillers, lacking a clear context. These uneven moments are further weakened by obvious CGI and some hectic editing, which do little to create any sense of awe.

Nevertheless, it’s still enjoyable to see familiar names from our history textbooks come alive on screen, with forts like Kondhana, Torana, Pratapgad, and Shivneri being referenced and at times, shown in their past glory. The stunning visuals captured by Cinematographer Santosh Sivan create a strong sense of place and time.

The drama builds up to terrific climax

Finally, Raja Shivaji builds up to a gripping extended climax that runs for nearly 30 minutes, capturing both the tension and intensity of Afzal Khan’s meeting with Shivaji Maharaj.

The negotiations for their encounter are handled by their courtiers (Jitendra Joshi and Mohit Takalkar are terrific here), eventually leading to the decisive face-off.

There are no swords, no violence, and no high-energy battles. Just a sharp exchange of words and a clash of intelligence.

The entire climax is staged with such great skill that it leaves your pulse racing. By the end, any earlier complaints about the film begin to fade in this gripping final stretch.

Riteish Deshmukh, who at first appears slightly uneven, slowly finds his rhythm as the film progresses. The result is a Shivaji, who may not be a flawless portrayal, but still remains engaging throughout. Full marks for effort to actor Riteish Deshmukh.

As for Director Riteish Deshmukh, he has my respect.

Raja Shivaji Review Rediff Rating: