Raja Shivaji Review, Cast, Budget, Rating, & Box Office Update

What if one film could bring history to life like never before? Raja Shivaji might just do that. Let’s explore its review and box office performance.

Movie Details
Movie Name	Raja Shivaji
Release Date	01 May 2026
Lead cast	Riteish Deshmukh
Language	Marathi, Hindi & Telugu
Genre	Historical Drama
Director	Riteish Deshmukh
Producer	Genelia Deshmukh, Jyoti Deshpande & Sandeep S. Patil
Writer	Riteish Deshmukh, Ajit Wadikar, Sandeep Patil
Music Composer	Ajay Gogavale and Atul Gogavale
Cinematography	Santosh Sivan
Editor	Urvashi Saxena
Budget (approx.)	Rs 100 Crore
Rating	4/5

What Is Raja Shivaji About?

The movie begins in the 17th century, prior to Shivaji's ascent. Shah Jahan seeks to control India; however, Adil Shah and Nizam Shah oppose him in the south. Maharashtrians are depicted as being subjugated, and Shahaji Bhosale is awarded Pune as his vatandari.

After Shivaji's birth, Shahaji is dispatched to Karnataka and subsequently detained by Adil Shah via his faithful commander, Afzal Khan. In Pune, with Jijabai’s direction, the flame of Swarajya sparks in young Shivba’s thoughts. As he matures, he starts to take charge, seizing Torna, Kondhana, and Purandar.

Raja Shivaji Cast & Their Characters

Riteish Deshmukh’s film Raja Shivaji features an ensemble cast including his wife Genelia and his son Rahyl Deshmukh as young Shivaji. Here is the complete list of Raja Shivaji Cast and their character’s names.

Raja Shivaji Cast
Actor's Name	Character's Name
Riteish Deshmukh	Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
Rahyl Deshmukh	Young Shivaji Maharaj
Genelia Deshmukh	Saibai
Sanjay Dutt	Afzal Khan
Vidya Balan	Badi Begum
Abhishek Bachchan	Sambhaji Shahaji Maharaj
Sachin Khedekar	Shahaji Raje Bhosale
Bhagyashree	Jijabai
Fardeen Khan	Shah Jahan
Amol Gupte	Adil Shah
Jitendra Joshi	Pant
Salman Khan	Jeeva Mahala (Special Appearance)

Riteish Deshmukh’s Raja Shivaji Review - Cast Performance

Rahyl Deshmukh, portraying young Shivaji, captivates with a pure yet powerful debut performance. Genelia Deshmukh appears attractive in her small part. 

Sanjay Dutt captures the spotlight as the villain, whereas Abhishek Bachchan seems underused. Riteish Deshmukh attempts to present a heartfelt and traditional portrayal of Raja Shivaji. The remaining actors deliver strong performances in their assigned roles.

Also Read: From Ek Din To Pitt Siyapa: Latest Movies This Week (Top 10 Picks)

Raja Shivaji Review - Audience Reaction

After the movie released in theaters, audiences are giving their Raja Shivaji reviews. A user stated, “Riteish Deshmukh is being hailed for his career best performance as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj - acting + directing brilliance!

🚨 RAJA SHIVAJI FIRST REVIEWS ARE IN AND NETIZENS ARE CALLING IT A BLOCKBUSTER! 🔥

Sounds like a must-watch on the big screen. book your tickets NOW! 🎟️@Riteishd is being hailed for his CAREER-BEST performance as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj — acting + directing brilliance! 👑… pic.twitter.com/LPn6olFegs

— RAJAT (@RajatJain) May 1, 2026

Another user wrote, “Fabulous all round effort across direction, performances & music, you can see the scale & intent on screen.”

Watched Raja Shivaji last evening.

Fabulous all round effort across direction, performances & music, you can see the scale & intent on screen.

The work put in by @Riteishd & @geneliad is mind blowing 🫡

A film that both entertains & brings history to a wider audience 🙇 pic.twitter.com/6gTGNWzqyV

— Nigel D'Souza (@Nigel__DSouza) May 1, 2026

Overall, Raja Shivaji is a grand and powerful historical drama that delivers strong performances, emotional depth, and cinematic scale, making it a must-watch for history lovers.

What Riteish Deshmukh Said On Casting Salman Khan?

Historic texts state that Jiva Mahala (portrayed by Salman Khan) served as the bodyguard for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He rescued the Maratha king at the Battle of Pratapgad.

In an interview, Riteish disclosed that he did not contact Salman Khan for the part, and it was Salman who urged to be included in the movie. He mentioned, "I didn't approach him for this movie... We spent New Year's together. He inquired when I would begin filming the movie. I mentioned, 'It begins this month.' He asked, 'What role am I assuming?'"

When Riteish mentioned that he hadn't considered casting him in the movie, the Tiger actor replied, "No, no, no... you can't create the film without me." "I must be involved."

Raja Shivaji Box Office Collection Day 1 Prediction

Through advance ticket sales alone, the historical action drama has achieved a gross of 5.14 crore (excluding reserved seats), translating to around Rs 4.36 crore in net earnings. Raja Shivaji is set to achieve an opening of over Rs 8 crores, encompassing all languages. It will make history for Marathi cinema with the largest opening ever!

Other Movies In Cinemas Alongside Raja Shivaji

There are multiple releases in theaters on 1 May 2026. Some of them are Ek Din, Jetlee, Patriot, Pratyabartan, Pitt Siyapa and others along with Raja Shivaji.

Thus, Raja Shivaji has to face tough competition at the box office. Well, the main competition is between Raja Shivaji and the Malayalam film Patriot. While bollywood romantic movie Ek Din starring Junaid Khan and Sai Pallavi failed to create buzz among the audiences.

For now, Raja Shivaji is in the lead in box office numbers, earning nearly Rs 4 Crore. While Patriot’s Indian net collection is Rs 3.73 Crore. This is the estimated report, final collection is yet to be revealed.

Raja Shivaji stands out as a visually rich and emotionally strong film with great performances. It has the potential to become a milestone in Marathi cinema.

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