4 min readMumbaiApr 20, 2026 05:29 PM IST
The trailer of Riteish Deshmukh’s upcoming Hindi-Marathi directorial Raja Shivaji was unveiled in Mumbai on Monday. The actor, who also plays the titular role of legendary Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was present at the grand event, along with co-star, wife, and co-producer Genelia Deshmukh, and the ensemble cast featuring seasoned A-list actors.
Sanjay Dutt, who plays the antagonist Afzal Khan in Raja Shivaji, revealed he did the film because he and Riteish go a long way back. Having co-starred in films like Dhamaal and Housefull 5, Riteish and Sanjay are also family friends. Their late fathers, Sunil Dutt and Vilasrao Deshmukh, worked together as members of the Indian National Congress. “Riteish is like my younger brother. So, whatever he says is set in stone for me,” Sanjay said.
Abhishek Bachchan also echoed that and added, “Like Sanju sir said, Riteish is like a younger brother. He just has to ask, and we’ll all show up. That’s a testimony for the kind of person he is and what he means to us,” said Abhishek, who has starred alongside Riteish in Bluffmaster and Housefull 3. “There’s no doubt — if Riteish asks for something and I don’t show up, that’s not possible,” added the actor, who plays Shivaji’s elder brother Shambhaji Shahji Bhosale.
Vidya Balan, who worked with Riteish Deshmukh in Heyy Babyy, made the audience crack up by saying Riteish is not her younger brother. “I already knew he’s making a film on Raja Shivaji. I thought Abhishek and Sanju are doing it; why did Ritesh not come to me? Maybe he would not have a role for me or doesn’t think much of me as an actor, who knows (laughs),” recalled Vidya. “But then he offered me a part. I already knew I’d say yes, but I told him I’d like to think about it so that he doesn’t realize I had been waiting for him. But I called him up as soon as he left home and said I’m doing the film,” she added.
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Vidya Balan, who plays evil queen Badi Begum in Raja Shivaji, also lauded Riteish for his directorial skills. “I thought I could play Badi Begum because the way he explained moments, mannerisms, and the authority she exudes. I thought he was doing it beautifully. All I needed to do was just watch him. When a director can play different parts and bring them to life, you hardly need to do anything,” added Vidya.
Boman Irani, who also shared screen space with Riteish Deshmukh in Heyy Babyy and the Housefull franchise, quipped that Ritesh just ordered him to show up on set. “He told me to not apply makeup so that I look naturally old like I do for the role of the 102-year-old man I was playing. Who says that to an actor? He also said you have to do the role because you’re the only person who lived in that era,” said Boman, as the audience cracked up.
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Riteish chipped in with another compliment that Boman forgot to mention: “I just told you the film looks prehistoric whenever you enter the frame.”
Bhagyashree, who plays Shivaji’s mother Rajmata Jijabai in Raja Shivaji, recalled how Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia Deshmukh were as romantic a couple as Shivaji and his wife Saibai. “I clearly remember Genelia feeding Riteish on set because he was busy setting up a shot while all of us were done with dinner. So, our producer was chasing our director with a plate of roti-sabzi in her hand,” said Bhagyashree.
The cast also includes Mahesh Manjrekar, Fardeen Khan, Amol Gupte, Jitendra Joshi, and Siddharth Jadhav. Co-produced by Jyoti Deshpande and Riteish and Genelia’s Mumbai Film Company, Raja Shivaji is slated to release in cinemas on May 1.
