In
the ensemble cast of Raja Shivaji, Marathi actress Dissha Pardeshi played one of Afzal Khan’s 63 wives, who were thrown into a well before being buried, alive and dead. She had a challenging sequence to enact. From being strangled to drowning in water, Dissha had to keep her performance controlled to create maximum impact. In an exclusive interview with Zoom, she opened up about her experience working with Sanjay Dutt in Raja Shivaji. The Bollywood veteran actor played Afzal Khan in the historical drama directed and headlined by Riteish Deshmukh.
Dissha Pardeshi on working with Sanjay Dutt in Raja Shivaji
Talking to
Zoom, Dissha said, “My experience with Sanjay Dutt was really good. He’s a quiet person and was focused on the set. He would come, shoot and go sit in the corner. Whenever my performance needed correction, he would patiently explain that beta, this is not how has to be done. First thing, he is Sanjay Dutt. He had to play Afzal Khan. When I saw him in Afzal’s costume, it scared me.”
Sanjay Dutt strangled Dissha Pardeshi because...
Recalling Sanjay’s politeness and gentlemanly demeanour on set, Dissha further shared, “In one of the scenes, Afzal Khan touches my cheek and then strangles. He actually did that! He actually strangled me, but after the shot was done, he apologised. He is a gentleman and very polite.”
Dissha Pardeshi on filming the death scene
In the same interview, Dissha revealed how the death scene of Afzal’s wives was executed. The actress mentioned that under Riteish’s mentorship and direction, she gained confidence to jump into a water body from a height of 10 to 12 feet. “When your director is approachable and helpful, shooting challenging scenes becomes less stressful. His trust gave me confidence. We did not use duplicates, VFX, and AI to create that scene,” she said.
About Raja Shivaji
Raja Shivaji’s cast also included
Abhishek Bachchan as Sambhaji Shahaji Maharaj (Shivaji Maharaj's brother), Sachin Khedekar as Shahaji Raje Bhosale, Bhagyashree as Jijabai, Vidya Balan as Badi Begum (Adilshah's wife), Fardeen Khan as Shah Jahan, Jitendra Joshi as Pant, Amol Gupte as Adilshah and Genelia Deshmukh as Sai Bai.
Raja Shivaji released in Marathi, Hindi and Telugu on May 1, which was celebrated as Maharashtra Day or International Labour Day. On the tenth day in theatres, the film crossed the Rs 65 crore mark. The movie is yet to touch the Rs 100 crore mark worldwide.
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