Riteish Deshmukh says 'Children' should watch Raja Shivaji' as his magnum opus nears the Rs 50 crore mark at the box-office

Jio Studios and Mumbai Film Company’s Raja Shivaji has been making a strong impression at the box office ever since it stormed on the big screens on May 1, Maharashtra Day. As the historical epic continues to roar, Riteish Vilasrao Deshmukh opened up about its organic success and expressed that children should watch the film because it brings to life “things that are not shown in the history books."

“When I see people taking their families, making groups, taking their grandparents, there are a lot of people who have never seen a film, they are taking their grandchildren. New parents, a one-year-old child, and a two-year-old child feel that the first film of their life should be Raja Shivaji, especially the film on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. They are making their own videos by going inside. After going inside, everyone feels something. After coming out, they make a video and post it, telling you to watch this film,” Riteish Deshmukh said.

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Ever since the film landed in theatres, social media has been buzzing with the audience sharing videos of celebration in theatres with their own reviews. The actor called this 'organic promotion' and said this moment shows a film's true success. “I think this is the moment when the audience accepts a film. That feeling is very good for the makers because when the audience accepts a film, they themselves start promoting it. Nothing better than that for filmmakers like us,” he added.

Talking about why his film is significant, Riteish added, "I think children should watch the film because we are limited to a few pages of history. I believe that when a story is presented to you on a large screen, they will know that there are a lot of things that are not shown in the history books. To know all this, it is important to watch this film."

The film earned a record Rs 37 crore in the opening weekend and has crossed Rs 53.30 crore in its first week, emerging as a milestone in Marathi cinema. The film brings together a formidable ensemble cast from Hindi and Marathi cinema, including Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sachin Khedekar, Boman Irani, Bhagyashree, Fardeen Khan, Jitendra Joshi, Amol Gupte, and Genelia Deshmukh, alongside Riteish Deshmukh, who leads the film both on and off screen.