Raja Shivaji

Raja Shivaji Movie Review Rating:

Star Cast: Riteish Deshmukh, Genelia Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Sachin Khedekar, Bhagyashree, and others

Director: Riteish Deshmukh

What’s Good: The earnest attempt to not just show a King fighting on the battlefield but a strategist, making words to claim Swarajya, no matter what the cost!

What’s Bad: Some might find the historical pacing a bit heavy in the first half, but the payoff is so massive you won’t care!

Loo Break: Strictly during the interval, else you will miss the dots, and it is one lengthy history chapter.

Watch or Not?: If you have even a drop of love for good historical storytelling, book your tickets without a doubt! Take your kids along; they need to see history unfold with such great vision!

Language: Marathi, Hindi

Available On: Theatrical release

Runtime: 3 hours 15 minutes

User Rating:

Sher haathi se darta hai, kyunki haathi ko uski taakat ka andaza hota hai aur sher ko uski aukaat ka! When Afzal Khan explains this power dynamics to a young Maratha kid, he did not know that ultimately, a lion is the king of the jungle and not the elephant! This one dialogue in the initial chapter of Raja Shivaji, directed, written, and acted by Riteish Deshmukh, sets the tone of the entire film in the brightest and the ‘rightest’ (I wish it could be a word) direction!

Biographical dramas are tricky. Moreover, to celebrate a hero, you know, through the chapters of a history book, is trickier. You have to make sure that nothing goes wrong – Neither a dialogue, nor a costume, nor a reference, nor a location, and most importantly, the hero and his army have to be hailed to such a perfection that you need god-level conviction on your story to pull a biopic and celebrate a hero! Riteish Deshmukh’s period drama ticks all the boxes for a good biographical drama, embedded deep in the history of India.

Raja Shivaji Movie Review: Script Analysis

The opening of the film takes us right into the birth of a dream called Swarajya. The screenplay, penned with immense heart and historical reverence, avoids the trap of being a mere history lesson. Instead, it focuses on the tactical genius and the emotional core of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It starts with the seeds of rebellion sown in a young heart and spans through the gritty formation of the Maratha Empire. What stands out is the pacing of the film and the transitions from political aspirations to alliances to personal equations, all scripted and blended perfectly into chapters! The screenplay ensures that while Shivaji Raje is the sun, the Maavalas (his soldiers) are the stars that make the Maratha sky shine.

Raja Shivaji Movie Review: Star Performance

Unlike many historical epics that rely solely on VFX, Raja Shivaji relies on emotion. The film wins because it doesn’t just show you what Shivaji Maharaj did; it shows you why and how he did it. The birth of Swarajya and his fight for Swarajya is given a distinct and honorable identity, and it is very minimal chest thumping that makes the storytelling authentic!

Playing the antagonist – Sanjay Dutt as Afzal Khan impresses. He always does. In fact, his screen presence is towering, providing the perfect wall for our hero to overcome. Abhishek Bachchan as Shambhuji Maharaj makes you emotional. He delivers a strong connection to the film, cementing the birth of Swarajya and one of the biggest rebellions! Sachin Khedekar as Shivaji and Shambhuji’s father Shahaji Raje, and Bhagyashree as their mother make this as much a beautiful family drama as it is a period war epic.

Genelia Deshmukh can make you cry at the drop of a hat! I mean, she is the only actor I cannot see crying! She is the backbone of the family dynamics, making sure to guard the future of the Maratha Empire, and proving that the Maratha Empire was built on the sacrifices and wisdom of its women as well!