Marathi cinema has found its newest box office phenomenon with Raja Shivaji. The historical drama starring and directed by Riteish Deshmukh has officially crossed the Rs 100 crore mark worldwide, becoming
only the second Marathi film in history to achieve the milestone after Sairat.
The film, based on the life and victories of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, has maintained a remarkable run at the ticket windows since release. It opened on a powerful note, collecting more than Rs 30 crore net during its first weekend alone. The momentum continued steadily through the weekdays, with the film ending its first week at Rs 52.65 crore net.
Its strong hold carried into the second week as well, taking the total to Rs 77 crore net. Interestingly, the film witnessed another surge during its third weekend and added Rs 7.60 crore net to its tally. After 17 days in theatres, the domestic collection now stands at Rs 84.55 crore net, while the worldwide gross has crossed Rs 100 crore.
What makes the achievement even more significant is the fact that Raja Shivaji did not receive a traditional overseas release, something that is common for most Marathi films. Despite that limitation, the film managed to add Rs 4 crore gross on Sunday (May 17) alone. Trade expectations suggest it could comfortably add another Rs 5 crore gross before entering its fourth weekend.
The historic run now places the film very close to overtaking Sairat, which remains the highest-grossing Marathi film of all time with a lifetime collection of Rs 110 crore gross. Directed by Nagraj Manjule, the 2016 blockbuster had created history by becoming the first Marathi film to enter the Rs 100 crore club.
For nearly a decade, no Marathi release managed to come near that benchmark. Apart from Sairat and now Raja Shivaji, only a handful of films including Baipan Bhari Deva, Ved and Natsamrat have crossed the Rs 50 crore mark.
The success also marks another milestone for Riteish Deshmukh, who already featured in Ved. With two films among Marathi cinema’s top grossers, the actor-filmmaker continues to strengthen his position in the industry.
Produced by Genelia D'Souza and Jyoti Deshpande under Mumbai Film Company and Jio Studios, Raja Shivaji features an ensemble cast including Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sachin Khedekar, Bhagyashree, Fardeen Khan, Jitendra Joshi and Amole Gupte.
