Riteish Deshmukh Breaks Silence On Raja Shivaji's Rs 100 Crore Budget Rumours

Raja

Shivaji, directed and co-produced by Riteish Deshmukh, has been performing decently at the box office. Based on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's life, the historical drama clashed with The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Junaid Khan-Sai Pallavi's Ek Din at the ticket window. After the film was released, rumours of its budget spread like wildfire on the internet. Media reports suggested that Raja Shivaji was made on a budget of Rs 100 crore. Now, in an interview, Riteish has reacted to these speculations, stating that only producers knew the real budget.

Riteish Deshmukh on Raja Shivaji's budget

Speaking to Hindustan Times, Riteish said that the last thing filmmakers should so is discuss the film's budget because it doesn't affect anything. The Raja Shivaji actor believes that conversations around star fees and film budgets have unnecessarily become central to movie culture.

The actor wondered what one has to do with a movie's budget. He said, "If someone asks me the budget, I ask them how much are you paying for a ticket to watch it?" When people say Rs 100, Rs 250 to Rs 300, he tells them that's the budget. Riteish added that one should talking about it and just experience the movie.Recalling his childhood experience of watching movies, Riteish said when he went to watch Amitabh Bachchan's Sholay, he never thought about its budget. The actor only wanted to enjoy the big screen entertainment. Having said that, Riteish believes industry is itself responsible for fueling public curiosity about the numbers. "We would never know how much films collected. Unfortunately, that’s the game today," he added. On a concluding note, Riteish revealed that he has made seven movies in Marathi cinema and has never shared its budgets.

How is Raja Shivaji performing at Indian box office?

Meanwhile, Raja Shivaji has collected Rs 56.28 crore at the box office. It took a solid opening of Rs 13.25 crore, and earned Rs 10.55 crore on day two and Rs 12 crore on day three. It was followed by the historical drama minting Rs 5.60 crore on day four, Rs 4.90 crore on day five, Rs 4.25 crore on day six, Rs 4 crore on day seven, and Rs 3.20 crore on day eight.

Co-starring Genelia Deshmukh, Bhagyashree, Sachin Khedekar and others, the film has been produced by JioStudios and Mumbai Film Company. Did you enjoy watching the historical drama in theatres? Tweet @TimesNow and share your thoughts on X.