3 min readMumbaiMay 9, 2026 10:36 AM IST
Riteish Deshmukh’s Raja Shivaji released on the big screen on May 1, and audiences responded in an enthusiastic manner, which was evident from the film’s box office response. The film performed particularly well in its Marathi version, clearly surpassing its Hindi counterpart. As of now, the film has grossed Rs 66.38 crore. Amid this success, there has been speculation that the film’s budget was around Rs 100 crore. Riteish has now opened up and addressed these claims.
‘Only the producers know the real numbers’
In a conversation with Hindustan Times, he said, “About the figures floating around regarding Raja Shivaji’s budget, only the producers know the real numbers. The last thing we need to do as filmmakers is to discuss the budget of a film because it doesn’t affect anything.” He further explained, “Why does the budget matter? If someone asks me, I ask them, ‘How much are you paying for a ticket to watch it?’ They say ‘Rs 100’ or ‘Rs 250–300’, and I reply, ‘That’s the budget.’ We should stop talking about it. Let it be magical, just go and experience the film.”
Reflecting on his own experiences as a child, Riteish added, “When I went to watch Amitabh Bachchan ji’s films like Sholay, I never thought, ‘What’s the budget of this film?’ I just wanted to enjoy the big-screen entertainment. We never knew how much films collected. Unfortunately, that’s the game today, people wonder how much actors charge for films. It’s our mistake because we feed these numbers. Those who think this is fine, it’s okay. We have made seven films in Marathi so far, and we have never revealed their budgets.”
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‘Marathi films can achieve huge numbers’
In a chat with Zoom, Riteish praised the strong performance of the Marathi version, saying, “Regional cinema is important. It needs to be supported, and I’m glad that people have gone out to watch the film in large numbers. I’m not taking this as a personal victory, please don’t get me wrong. I’m speaking only as part of the Marathi film ecosystem. There was a figure for the highest-grossing first day, and Raja Shivaji has opened almost two and a half times that, which is huge for a Marathi film. This shows that Marathi films can achieve these numbers. I hope another film comes soon and breaks this record.”
He continued, “Unless records are broken and commercial boundaries are pushed, the industry will not grow. I’m not here thinking, ‘Oh, my film set a record; it should never be broken.’ No, please. I hope the next film breaks this record because that is the biggest victory for Raja Shivaji, setting a benchmark for the industry.”
About Raja Shivaji
Produced by Jio Studios and Mumbai Film Company, Raja Shivaji is based on the life of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire. The film stars Riteish Deshmukh alongside Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sachin Khedekar, Bhagyashree, Fardeen Khan, Jitendra Joshi, Boman Irani, Amol Gupte, and Genelia Deshmukh. Salman Khan also makes a cameo appearance.
