Riteish Deshmukh is soaking in the positive response to his ambitious historical drama Raja Shivaji, which hit theatres on May 1. The actor-director recently opened up about the film’s reception and the effort that went into bringing the story to life, especially its writing process.

Riteish Deshmukh reacts to Raja Shivaji success: “The most difficult part was the writing,” says actor-director

Speaking to ANI, Riteish expressed gratitude for the appreciation the film has been receiving from audiences. “First of all, I would like to thank everyone,” he said and continued, “People are appreciating it and I am feeling very good. I think the biggest responsibility was of a writer. I, Sandeep Patil and Dr. Ajit Wadikar wrote the screenplay. And Prajakt Deshmukh wrote the dialogue. All four of us worked very hard to write the film. The most difficult part was the writing. Because we feel that writing is the foundation of a film. And we tried to do it with the same strength”.

He also spoke about the encouragement the film received from the family of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, which he described as a deeply reassuring moment. “Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje, who saw the film and appreciated it. I think when such a thing comes from the family, I had a conversation with him over the phone. And I think the burden was lightened. I am very thankful to him”.

#WATCH | Mumbai: On his movie Raja Shivaji, actor Ritesh Vilasrao Deshmukh says, “The biggest responsibility in this was the writer’s job. Sandeep Patil and I, together with Ajit Wadekar, wrote the screenplay… We worked very hard. The most difficult part was in its writing.… pic.twitter.com/DvLlcgT1d0

— ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2026

Riteish further addressed the decision to expand the film’s reach beyond regional audiences. “Raja Shivaji is a Marathi film. We thought how we can take it beyond the boundaries of Maharashtra. And we thought we should do it in Hindi. Just like the star cast was in this film. People were watching it in Maharashtra. But the Hindi speaking people outside Maharashtra should also watch it. And we got success in that too. Where people are watching it in large numbers”.

Raja Shivaji is a 2026 historical action drama based on the life of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire. Co-written and directed by Riteish Deshmukh, the film is produced by Genelia Deshmukh and Jyoti Deshpande under the banners of Mumbai Film Company and Jio Studios. The film features an ensemble cast including Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sachin Khedekar, Bhagyashree, Fardeen Khan, Jitendra Joshi, and Amole Gupte, along with Genelia Deshmukh.

With strong word-of-mouth and expanding reach, Raja Shivaji appears to be striking a chord not just in Maharashtra but across Hindi-speaking markets as well.

Also Read: Raja Shivaji: Riteish Deshmukh reveals, “All big actors have worked for free in this film”