What is the story about?
Riteish Deshmukh's most ambitious project Raja Shivaji is just days away from release. The grand historical epic tells the grand story of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
and is being called the most expensive Marathi film ever made. But ahead of its release, an interesting detail has come to light. The Hindi and Marathi versions of the film will reportedly not have the same runtime. Here is everything you need to know about it.
Raja Shivaji Hindi Version To Be Shorter
Raja Shivaji is set to release on May 1 in both Marathi and Hindi versions. Usually, films released in more than one language have the same runtime, with language being the only difference. But Raja Shivaji is set be an exception.
The Marathi version received its censor certificate on April 24. As per Bollywood Hungama, its runtime is 195.05 minutes, that is 3 hours, 15 minutes, and 5 seconds. The Hindi version is shorter by exactly 8 minutes. This means Hindi audiences will watch a slightly tighter cut of the film.
The Hindi version of Raja Shivaji was certified by the CBFC on April 28 with a U/A 16+ certificate. Both versions are now cleared and ready for their big release on Maharashtra Day.
According to the report, Riteish Deshmukh is experimenting by keeping the film crisp for the Hindi audience. And since the Marathi audience is likely to be more attracted to the film, the actor-director decided to go with a longer runtime for the local version.
Interestingly, this difference was also noticed in the trailers. The Marathi trailer is 3 minutes and 5 seconds long, while the Hindi promo is slightly shorter at 2 minutes and 59 seconds.
Raja Shivaji Release Date And Cast
In Raja Shivaji, Riteish Deshmukh plays Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, while his 10-year-old son Rahyl Deshmukh plays the younger Shivaji. This makes the film even more personal for the Deshmukh family.
The film features a massive ensemble cast. Sanjay Dutt plays Afzal Khan, Abhishek Bachchan plays Sambhaji, Fardeen Khan plays Aurangzeb, and Genelia Deshmukh plays Saibai. Bhagyashree plays Jijabai, while Vidya Balan, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sachin Khedekar, Jitendra Joshi, and Amole Gupte are also part of the film. Salman Khan has a cameo in the film.
Raja Shivaji is made on an estimated Rs 100 crore budget, making it the most expensive Marathi film ever made. With such a massive scale and a star-studded cast, the film is expected to be one of the biggest releases of 2026.
