Raja Shivaji (2026)

Raja Shivaji 2026: what the film is

Raja Shivaji 2026 is a big-canvas biographical drama about Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire. Riteish Deshmukh directs and also plays the title role, which makes this his most ambitious outing behind the camera so far as reported. The film was made in Marathi and Hindi together rather than being dubbed afterwards, and Wikipedia lists the Marathi cut at 195 minutes and the Hindi cut at 187.

The story, as described in public listings, starts in Shivaji's childhood and the influence of his mother Jijabai, then moves through his years of assembling a loyal force, learning guerrilla methods and pushing towards what the film calls Hindavi Swarajya. The opposition comes from the Bijapur Sultanate and Mughal power. Because the life is well known, the interest lies less in what happens and more in how it is staged and which episodes the writers choose to dwell on.

Cast, crew and music

The ensemble is unusually wide for a Marathi-led production. Genelia D'Souza is listed as Sai Bhonsale, Bhagyashree as Jijabai and Sachin Khedekar as Shahaji. On the adversary side, Sanjay Dutt is credited as Afzal Khan, with Vidya Balan as Khadija Sultana and Amole Gupte as Mohammed Adil Shah. Abhishek Bachchan appears as Sambhaji Shahaji Bhosale, and Fardeen Khan as Shah Jahan. Salman Khan is listed in a cameo as Jeeva Mahala, though some outlets said it was not yet confirmed at the time they wrote.

The script credits go to Ajit Wadikar, Sandeep Patil, Prajakt Deshmukh and Riteish Deshmukh. Mumbai Film Company and Jio Studios produced, with Jyoti Deshpande, Genelia D'Souza and Riteish Deshmukh as producers. Ajay-Atul composed the music, a five-track set of about 21 minutes, with the title anthem sung by Ajay Gogavale. Reports also credit Santosh Sivan with the cinematography.

Release date and where to watch

The film opened in theatres on 1 May 2026, the date of Maharashtra Day. For streaming, The Week reported a Netflix arrival on 26 June 2026, while another listing named JioHotstar, so the platform is not consistent across sources. Check the service's own page before planning a viewing.

Box-office figures circulated in the press, but they come from trade estimates and we have not reproduced them here. One outlet described the film as part of a planned trilogy; we could not confirm that from a primary source, so treat it as unverified.

If you want a sense of what to watch for, look at the long runtime, the rival-court politics and the parallel Marathi and Hindi performances. Viewers who enjoy period storytelling on a large scale, or who are curious about how a popular actor handles a historical figure, are the natural audience.