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I chose to watch the bilingual in Marathi, not Hindi. The essence of many a dialogue can be lost completely in translation. Having watched both Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior (2020) and Chhaava (2025), I had great expectations from this film.
Tanhaji, Shivaji’s trusted lieutenant, is reduced to a scene or two here, whereas Shambhaji, the Emperor’s son and heir, is shown only as an infant and a small kid. Suffice to amplify the fact that the film is no biopic (admittedly, the Chhatrapati’s saga is huge enough for a two-season web series!), but just a capsule about his ambition for Swarajya(Independence) and his wanting to have the Marathas’ own kingdom and flag, when the Marathas were browbeaten in all senses by Adil Shah and the Mughals in their terrain itself.
Specifically, the film only talks about the mental torment Shivaji (essayed by Riteish Deshmukh) and his family (along with the citizens) endured at the hands of the tyrannical Mughals and, specifically, from Adilshah of Bijapur, and his cruel general, Afzal Khan. This role is played here by Sanjay Dutt, whose negative characters will soon outnumber his hero’s roles, at this rate! We come to the film’s end when Shivaji and Afzal have their historic meeting, where, as we know from our schoolbooks history, he killed Afzal with his wagh nakha (tiger’s nails) when the treacherous general tried to stab him during a embrace asked as a ‘friendly’ gesture by him. This sequence is extended for drama with not one but three jadoo ki jhappi…Oops!!! Wrong Sanjay Dutt film!!!…I meant hugs!
The problem with the script is that he touches upon just 15 to 20 percent of Shivaji’s incredibly brave life and then treats the film as a massive action entertainer with tropes galore. We get the lesser-known fact that Shivaji’s elder brother Sambhaji Shahaji Bhosle (Abhishek Bachchan) was actually killed by Afzal, leading to the sequence in which their mother, Jijabai (Bhagyashree) asking her younger son in typically filmi manner, “Get me Afzal’s head, Shiva!” with Shivaji fulfilling the promise. Raakhee ma’am, we missed you here!
The action sequences may be magnificent (the bull sequence is superbly done) but they all boil down to Shivaji and Sambhaji battling the Mughals the way we have watched Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Sunny Deol and the rest of our macho heroes decimate 20 villains at a time. In one sequence, Sambhaji is attacked by a whole horde of enemy soldiers, but they all attack him one at a time! The South’s action dramas too worship this template of action!
We even have the predictable scene where Shivaji comes to know of his wife Sai (Genelia Deshmukh)’s death, but nothing is mentioned of his remaining seven wives! All the same, the punishment for anyone molesting a girl is the chaukon (square), where the offender’s arms and legs are cut off!
And yes, we have the poor old lady (Sushama Deshpande), who demands action from anyone who is supposed to be a ruler, as she has lost her family to the villains, before she will accept him as her king!
The violence is almost on par with Dhurandhar (also co-produced by Jio Studios) and the film’s division into chapters seems to be directly inspired by that epic franchise. However, the emotional quotient is less than half of those films and by no means does it even match either Tanhaji… (wherein Shivaji was essayed with finesse by Sharad Kelkar) or Chhaava. Those two films entertained along with their action, emotions, drama and pith.
Yes, I know that comparisons are not really indices for judging a film, but because the two movies were in the same domain (thematically, historically and geographically!), it is important to mention how passion on paper translated then into intensity on screen in them, but here we have a lukewarm saga.
Deshmukh’s script (with Sandeep Patil and Ajit Wadikar) thus lacks the brilliance of both the earlier historicals and relies on templates for effect. As director, he depends more on scale and grandeur rather than substance, and while that may work a tad in Marathi because of the novelty, the Hindi version is not at all likely to add to the collections, unlike the massive success of the earlier films.
Ajay-Atul’s music is repetitive though rousing, but their lyrics are better. However, one song that I do not recall, goes on…and on! John Stewart Eduri’s background score is in sync with the ethos and the songs.
The VFX and DI (Assemblage Entertainment, Redefine) and the camerawork (Santosh Sivan) are decent but lack the extraordinary needs for such a film. The other technical values (production design, sets, costumes, make-up, sound design) are of the same levels.
Naturally, the performers too lack the intensity needed. Sanjay Dutt and Amole Gupte are given shades of wry humor, which I personally feel were not needed at all. Dutt is standard, but Gupte could have been allowed to do better as Adilshah.
Sushama Deshpande as the old lady, Bhagyashree and Genelia are just about okay, and the latter seems stilted, ditto Sachin Khedekar as Shahaji Bhonsle and. Vidya Balan is outstanding in her ruthless turn as Badi Begum. Abhishek Bachchan is painstakingly sincere as Sambhaji, while Jitendra Joshi is excellent as Pant.
From the rest, Salman Khan (in the obligatory Deshmukh film cameo here, as Jeeva Mahala), Fardeen Khan (as Shah Jahan), Boman Irani (as Peer Baba) are all criminally wasted. And what was the genius Siddharth Jadhav doing here at all?
However, both Riaan Deshmukh and Rahyl Deshmukh score high as Shivaji in his young and younger days. The actor playing the young Sambhaji is also very good.
Coming to Riteish himself, as an actor he delivers without being brilliant. Maybe the different departments he was handling simultaneously made him a Jack of all trades, Master of none!
I would call Raja Shivaji an average action entertainer more than the faithful, high-intensity historical epic I expected it to be from the resources available in talent as well as funds!
Rating: ***
Jio Studios’ & Mumbai Film Company’s Raja Shivaji Produced by: Riteish Deshmukh, Genelia Deshmukh & Jyoti Deshpande Directed by: Riteish Deshmukh Written by: Riteish Deshmukh, Sandeep Patil, Ajit Wadikar & Prajakta Deshmukh) Music: Ajay-Atul & additional songs by John Stewart Eduri Starring: Riteish Deshmukh, Genelia Deshmukh, Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek A. Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Bhagyashree, Sachin Khedekar, Amole Gupte, Jitendra Joshi, Mir Sarwar, Sushama Deshpande, Sp. App.: Salman Khan, Fardeen Khan, Boman Irani, Siddharth Jadhav & others
