Raja Shivaji, headlined and directed by Riteish Deshmukh, is having a strong run at the box office. The film also stars Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sachin Khedekar, Bhagyashree, Boman Irani, Fardeen Khan, Jitendra Joshi, Amole Gupte, and Genelia Deshmukh in pivotal roles, while Salman Khan appeared in a cameo.
In a recent interview, Riteish Deshmukh himself revealed that actors worked for free in Raja Shivaji as a mark of their respect for the Marathi legend Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
He said, “This Marathi film has got the most screens in Maharashtra. We have read all the books; the history of Maharaj is not something that can be contained in one film. It was our job to show this film without compromising on history. Salman Khan is my brother; he was in both my films. I was working on writing the film for three and a half years. All the big actors have worked for free in this film; everyone has worked for free for Maharaj.”