Riteish Deshmukh reacts to Raja Shivaji response; says families bringing children, grandparents to theatres

Actor-director Riteish Deshmukh has reacted to the positive response to his directorial Raja Shivaji, which released in theatres on May 1.Speaking about the reception, Riteish said the film has struck an emotional chord with audiences, with families coming together to watch the historical drama based on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.“When I see people taking their families, making groups, taking their grandparents... there are a lot of people who have never seen a film, they are taking their grandchildren. New parents with one- or two-year-old children feel that the first film of their life should be Raja Shivaji,” he told ANI.He added that viewers are sharing their reactions online after watching the film. “After going inside, everyone feels something. After coming out, they make a video and post it, telling others to watch this film,” he said.Riteish said organic word-of-mouth is the most rewarding phase for any filmmaker.“I think this is the moment when the audience accepts a film. That feeling is very good for the makers because when the audience accepts a film, they themselves start promoting it,” he said.He also emphasised the importance of presenting history on the big screen. “We are limited to a few pages of history. When a story is shown on a large screen, children understand there is much more than what’s in textbooks. To know all this, it is important to watch this film,” he added.Raja Shivaji has opened strongly at the box office, collecting Rs 23.90 crore over its first two days. As per trade, the film recorded the biggest opening day for a Marathi film, earning Rs 12.40 crore on Friday, followed by Rs 11.50 crore on Saturday. The film has now collected a total of Rs 52 crore in six days of its release. The Marathi version is leading the performance, while the Hindi version is expected to grow further through word-of-mouth. The historical epic features an ensemble cast including Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Bhagyashree and Genelia Deshmukh in key roles, along with Mahesh Manjrekar, Sachin Khedekar, Fardeen Khan, Jitendra Joshi and Amole Gupte.