After the success of his directorial debut, Ved (2022), actor Riteish Deshmukh will helm his second film, Raja Shivaji. Thrilled to announce it on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti, he says, “Today, as we celebrate Shiv Jayanti, this is the perfect time to announce Raja Shivaji that’s based on the life of Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.”

The film will be produced by his production house, Mumbai Film Company (MFC), in collaboration with Jio Studios. It will be released in Marathi and Hindi. “When you want to make a film on a larger-than-life personality, it warrants a certain scale. We are proud to collaborate with Jyoti Deshpande (CEO, Viacom 18) and Jio Studios, who have the legacy of backing ambitious films,” he says.

The 45-year-old wanted to work on a film on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj for the longest time: “His stories have been heard by everyone in and outside Maharashtra and teach us to stand against injustice.”

The “overwhelming love of audiences for Ved” pushed Riteish to make films he believed in. Crediting his wife, actor Genelia Deshmukh as the driving force, the Housefull (2010) and Lai Bhaari (2014) actor says, “In the last 10 years, our quest has been to make new and fresh content in MFC. For Raja Shivaji, I don’t think I can trust anyone else. Genelia is fantastic with planning and is the most important part of the film as the producer, and, I feel, as a director, I am in safe hands.”

Riteish is looking forward to reuniting with music director duo Ajay-Atul. He says, “When it comes to the sound of Maharashtra and making local [music] sound global, there’s no other than them.”

He is equally excited to have cinematographer Santosh Sivan on board, “When we talk about Raja Shivaji, we want it to be a beautiful looking film and for that there’s no one better than Santosh Sivan sir to weave cinematographic magic on celluloid. It is a huge honour and I am thankful to Genelia for getting him on board.”