Abhishek Bachchan On Denying Fees For Riteish Deshmukh's Raja Shivaji: 'It's Not A Transaction' | Exclusive

Riteish Deshmukh recently revealed that most of the stars who had guest appearances in Raja Shivaji such as Salman Khan, Vidya Balan and Abhishek Bachchan waived off their fees. According to him, the decision came from their deep reverence for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the personal bond they share with Riteish himself.

Now, speaking exclusively to News18, Abhishek reacts to reports carrying false information about the remuneration that he and his co-stars charged for Raja Shivaji. “In today’s day and age, there are all these reels where people talk about facts and figures,” he says. Busting the myth, he states that actors don’t mind slashing or waiving off their fees for a vision they endorse.

“The media loves to talk about an actor or an actress

charging so much money and demanding for these many vans but at the end of the day, it’s an art form that starts from the heart. We’ve no problems waiving anything off if we believe in something. It’s not a transaction. It’s an emotional transaction. You’ve to be inspired That’s how art starts,” Abhishek remarks.

He, in fact, lauds both Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh for not mulling over other the figures either – such as its box office. “At a time where there’s so much mathematics attached to films, they’ve affirmed that not everything is about figures. It was about their belief in wanting to do something larger than all of us. They never approached it as a project. It was very sacred to them,” he tells us.

But what specifically stood out for him was their ‘work ethics’, which made him ‘comfortable’ on set. “It was a very challenging film to be made. The scale is something that Marathi cinema hasn’t seen before and to achieve that seamlessly and make sure that the unit is happy, safe and inspired… kudos to them, really! I don’t know anybody who had any complaints,” he remarks.

Raja Shivaji, however, isn’t Abhishek’s first collaboration with Riteish and Genelia as producers. “I did a very short voiceover for one of his earlier films that they had produced,” he shares. And this time around, Abhishek said a yes to them without even reading the script. Talking about his bond with them, he says, “I don’t look upon them differently to my family and me. They’re family to me.”

“I’ve known them for a very, very long time. They’re some of the sweetest and most down-to-earth people you’ll ever come across. They’re very dependable friends to me and my family. They’ve conducted themselves even as producers in that way. In a way, Mumbai Film Company is mine. They’ll be sharing the profits (laughs),” he adds.

While Abhishek has been offered a few Marathi films in the past, Raja Shivaji marks his first appearance in one. “It was the first time I was speaking Marathi onscreen. Being born and brought up in Mumbai, you’re acquainted with it but if you’re doing something for the first time, there’s always a bit of trepidation. But with Riteish being there, I knew he would take care of it,” he says.