On being called Shambhu Raje at the traffic signal, Abhishek said, this has never happened to me.
Actor Abhishek Bachchan reveals the tremendous love he has received for Raja Shivaji from the Marathi audience. He credited his co-star and the film’s director Riteish Deshmukh for trusting him with the role.
Actor Abhishek Bachchan recently talked about his character being called Shambhu Raje Raja ShivajiAt a traffic signal after the release of the film. Describing it as a surreal moment, he said that the response from the Marathi audience has been overwhelming.
In a conversation with India Today, Abhishek credited actor-filmmaker Riteish Deshmukh for trusting him with this role. He said the film attracted him because of its historical details, political intrigue, and the research behind it. Raja Shivaji It was released in theaters on 1 May.
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memorable moment after that of Raja Shivaji release
Recalling a moment after the release of the film, Abhishek said that he was recognized publicly in a way that he had never experienced before. He said, “One day I was stopped at a traffic signal and someone called me Shambhu Raje. This had never happened to me before. It shows what these figures mean to people and it increases the responsibility on him as a director and writer to do justice.”
The actor shared that he was surprised by the love he received from the Marathi audience and credited Riteish for believing that he could play the role.
History and politics drew him towards film
Abhishek said that the most important part of the project for him was learning about aspects of history that he did not know about. It included political complexities related to the lives of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.
He shared, “I was surprised by the fact that when he first told me about the role, I had no idea that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had an elder brother and that they had such a deep relationship. Then he started telling me about the politics of that era, the struggles, the layers – and it was incredibly interesting.”
He also praised the work done in the production of the film and said that researchers and historians were present on the set during the shooting. “The depth that they went into their research was amazing. They also had researchers and historians on set and I loved picking their brains because I’m a huge history buff,” he said.
According to Abhishek, the film moves beyond the broader historical narrative that audiences are already familiar with and focuses on the intrigue and day-to-day pressures of the period.
He said, “What I really enjoyed about the film was that beyond the basics of what the world already knows about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, there’s so much intrigue and depth to it. You can see the kind of issues he had to grapple with on a day-to-day basis, the twists and turns in the plot. I think the intrigue and politics is what really sets this film apart from previous films, the scale on which they’ve made it.”
‘You don’t want to do any injustice to them’
Abhishek said that playing the roles of revered historical figures brings both pride and pressure.
“When you do these scenes, you feel a lot of pride. But you also have a great sense of responsibility because you feel like, ‘Oh my God, we’re portraying characters that are revered.’ You don’t want to do any injustice to them. You want to give them the respect they deserve. Your attention remains more on that. And when you see the positive response to that, you’re relieved, but you’re also very, very happy,” he said.
‘He is my younger brother’
Talking about why he said yes to the film, Abhishek said that he did not question Riteish’s vision.
When asked if he could see himself playing the character of Sambhaji Raje, he replied, “Yes, because thankfully he didn’t tell me about the character at that time. Look, he’s my younger brother. I would do anything for him. He just has to ask. But the biggest trust and love is in the fact that I know he wouldn’t ask me to do something that he’s not sure I can do. So, I think that’s the mutual understanding.” Is.”
“I didn’t know he was coming to offer me a film. He just said, ‘Can I come?’ I thought, OK, he’ll just come to visit. But when he asks you something, I already know he’s thinking about it. So, I don’t need to think that he’s just coming to get a favor. This is not a favor. This is something that he had thought about before coming to me and had convinced himself about it. He doesn’t take it lightly,” the actor said.
She further added that Ritesh probably knew that he could contact her without inquiring too much, but that made it even more important for him to be responsible with whatever he brought to her. Abhishek said that Riteish was clearly confident about the casting. This was the most important thing for him, because if Riteish could see him in this role, he could portray it as an actor.
Raja Shivaji It was released in theaters on 1 May.