Riteish Deshmukh reveals that the film could be a Hindi-Marathi bilingual, his plans to produce another Marathi film, and his future in politics
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 7, 2017)

After collaborating with National Award-winning filmmaker Ravi Jadhav for his first Marathi production Balak-Palak in 2013, following up with the director’s Bollywood debut, Banjo, three years later, which featured him in the lead, Riteish Deshmukh will now play Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the director’s upcoming biopic on the warrior king.

“We have just finished our first draft and after a few revisions we will get into prep. The film will roll next year,” the 38-yearold actor-producer informs Mirror, adding that he is actively involved with the scripting and has been reading books like Vedh Mahamanawacha, Shree Raja Shivchatrapati and Shivcharitra among others. “At the moment it is a Marathi film but by the time we go on the floors, it may become a Hindi-Marathi bilingual. We will take a call on that later.”

The Shivaji biopic is Riteish’s fifth production after Balak-Palak, another National Award winner in 2014, Yellow, followed by the super hit Lai Bhaari which opened the same year and the recently released Marathi crime thriller, Faster Fene. “I’m glad that the first few films we have produced have been in different genres and were appreciated by the audience. When you work with low budgets, one has no option but to work on content and within the space offered, scale up your product,” he reasons, admitting that limitations of regional cinema pushes him as a filmmaker to new creative heights.

He goes on to inform that it was his father, the late Vilasrao Deshmukh, who once asked him why he was only doing Hindi films and not looking towards Marathi cinema. “At that point no offers were coming my way but after a decade in the industry, I wanted to make films but wasn’t sure what I wanted to produce. So, then, I decided to dive into Marathi cinema. The success of Balak-Palak encouraged me to push for something different,” Riteish reminisces.

He goes on to say that Marathi filmmakers are now reaching out to him to present their films but he is quick to add that his company has taken a conscious decision to only back scripts they are involved with since the beginning. “We also want to get into the digital space now,” he asserts.

He maintains that his actress wife Genelia D’Souza and he are a great team. He picks out the scripts and bounces them off her. “I had shared the idea of Faster Fene which was set in the ’70s with her and she came up with the brainwave of transplanting it in the present time so it caters to today’s audience. She was the one who set up the entire production, right from getting the team together to overseeing minute details. I came into the picture only when the film was ready and had to be promoted,” he smiles.

The miya-biwi jodi had earlier acted in films like Tujhe Meri Kasam (2003) which marked their Bollywood debut, Masti (2004) and Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya (2012). When will we see them together on screen again? “I would love to do a Marathi film with Genelia but we need a script first. Also, she has to decide if she’s ready to make a comeback to films,” he points out.

On the subject of producing Hindi films, Riteish says that while in Marathi cinema you can go ahead once you zero in on a good subject, in Bollywood one has to take into account other factors like commercial viability and casting. “That’s another kind of mathematics altogether which while I understand, I’m not sure I want to get into it right now. For the moment I’m planning another Marathi film,” he says, refusing to divulge details.

He recently met his Aladin director, Sujoy Ghosh, over coffee and they discussed a probable collaboration. “We have been friends for years and while chatting about films, I asked him to give me a script as I want to produce more films and he agreed,” says Riteish. Meanwhile, is he doing Sajid Nadiadwala’s Housefull 4? “The production house will announce the cast at the right time,” he retorts, keeping it short.

His late father was the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra and both his brothers, Amit and Dheeraj, are into politics. Does he plans to shift from being an abhineta to rajneta someday? “I have lived with politics all my life thanks to my father and brothers, but one can’t get into it just like that, one has to work one’s way up from the grassroot level but having said that I have to admit that none of my decisions were ever planned. I studied architecture but then got an offer and found my way into the film industry. I enjoy politics and am keenly watching what’s happening in the country. I don’t know what the future holds for me but never say never to anything in life,” he signs off.