When Nagraj Manjule’s Sairat crossed the ₹100 crore mark at the worldwide box office in 2016, it was a red-letter day for Marathi cinema. It took the industry over a hundred years to reach the mark. And in the 10 years since, no Marathi film even came close to replicating the feat. Until Riteish Deshmukh rewrote the record books with Raja Shivaji. On Sunday, the historical action drama became the second Marathi film to breach the ₹100 crore barrier, and given its momentum, it wouldn’t be long before it takes the top spot.
Raja Shivaji mints ₹100 crore
Raja Shivaji, based on the life and triumphs of Maratha hero Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, opened very strongly, earning over ₹30 crore net in its first weekend itself. It sustained its momentum during the weekdays, ending week 1 at ₹52.65 crore net and week 2 at ₹77 crore. In its third weekend, Raja Shivaji saw a resurgence at the box office, minting ₹7.60 crore net. After 17 days, its domestic haul has now reached ₹84.55 crore net ( ₹100 crore gross). Raja Shivaji did not secure an overseas release, as is the norm for most Marathi films, which makes this achievement even more staggering. The film earned ₹4 crore gross on Sunday. Even after accounting for the Monday dip, it is expected to add ₹5 crore gross before it enters the fourth weekend, after which, the sky is the limit.
Raja Shivaji is hot on the heels of Sairat
Sairat, Manjule’s story of the star-crossed lovers caught in a quagmire of caste divide, remains the highest-grossing Marathi film in history. The film earned ₹110 crore gross in its lifetime, a mark Raja Shivaji should cross in its fourth week, given its current momentum. Only three other Marathi films, Baipan Bhari Deva, Ved, and Natsamrat, have even crossed ₹50 crore, which shows how big an achievement it is for Raja Shivaji. Incidentally, Ved also starred Riteish Deshmukh, meaning the actor now has two of the top 5 grossers in Marathi cinema history.
All about Raja Shivaji
Raja Shivaji is written and directed by Riteish and produced by Genelia D’Souza and Jyoti Deshpande under Mumbai Film Company and Jio Studios. Apart from Ritiesh and Genelia, it stars Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sachin Khedekar, Bhagyashree, Fardeen Khan, Jitendra Joshi, and Amole Gupte.