Akshay Kumar Gives Shoutout To ‘Friend’ Riteish Deshmukh For Raja Shivaji, Says, ‘It Takes Passion To…’

The trailer of Riteish Deshmukh’s upcoming historical film Raja Shivaji, based on the life and legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was unveiled on April 20, and the glimpse into the world of the historical legend has invited widespread love from fans and friends alike. Akshay Kumar, who shares a close bond with Riteish, took to Instagram to shower the actor with praise.

The Khiladi Kumar took to his Instagram and shared, “Massive shoutout to my friend @riteishd for acting, writing, and producing Raja Shivaji… a story so deeply rooted in our history.” The actor further continued and spoke about how it takes a lot of passion to bring something like this to life, adding, “It takes passion to dream it and even more to bring it alive. Sundi… wishing

you nothing but blockbuster success (hug emoji).”

At the trailer launch of Raja Shivaji, Riteish Deshmukh thanked Sanjay Dutt, Genelia Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, and the rest of the team. Several videos from the event show Riteish and his wife Genelia getting emotional. Riteish Deshmukh got teary-eyed as he revealed that he had planned to make the film in 2016, but it couldn’t happen back then. He said that in 2023, it finally felt like the right time, and Raja Shivaji eventually went on floors.

About Raja Shivaji

Raja Shivaji features Riteish Deshmukh in the titular role and boasts an impressive ensemble, including Abhishek Bachchan, Genelia Deshmukh, Sanjay Dutt, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sachin Khedekar, Bhagyashree, Fardeen Khan, Jitendra Joshi, and Amole Gupte, among others. Shot simultaneously in Marathi and Hindi, the film is slated for a theatrical release on May 1, 2026.

Akshay Kumar on the work front

Meanwhile, Akshay Kumar is currently enjoying the success of his recently released film Bhooth Bangla, which marked his reunion with director Priyadarshan after 15 years. News18 Showsha gave the horror comedy 2.5 stars, and a part of the review reads, “The jump scares do work occasionally. Sticking to the current timeline would’ve probably helped the story remain a contained telling of horror and comedy. But the time travel in the second half is far too elaborate and distracting. The triangle between Akshay, Tabu, and Jisshu Sengupta is a rather weak arc—not compelling enough and not nearly aesthetic. It tries to resurrect old-school comedy but ends up feeling loud, exaggerated, and backdated.”