Abhishek Bachchan has come to the defence of ‘Raja Shivaji’ amid the flak the film has received over its VFX. Having played Sambhaji Shahaji Bhosale, the elder brother of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, in the film, Abhishek argued that it is simply not fair to measure Indian films against Hollywood ones, given how vastly different their budgets are. He also stressed that VFX is a craft that improves with time and investment, and that working under tight deadlines only adds to the challenge.
Abhishek Bachchan comes to Raja Shivaji’s defence
In a candid conversation with News18, Abhishek did not mince words when addressing the VFX criticism. “Maybe the common man doesn’t know but VFX is a very fine art but it’s a rain card. The more time you give it, the better it’s going to look. The more money you can pile into your VFX, the better the quality. People have to understand that at the end of the day, Riteish and Genelia (Deshmukh) have made a Marathi film within a very tight budget,” he said. He went on to point out that Hollywood studios likely pump in upwards of Rs 5000 crore on VFX alone, over and above a film’s overall budget, and made it clear that Indian cinema simply cannot compete at that level because, as he put it, ‘that’s not our market.’
Abhishek Bachchan on Indian films vs Hollywood
Abhishek did not shy away from putting the budget gap into perspective, noting that Indian films work on a part—perhaps barely one percent—of what Hollywood pours into VFX alone. He stressed that quality is inevitably tied to how much time and money goes into the process. Pointing to Riteish’s dual role as producer and director, he said there comes a point where one has to draw the line and decide how long to keep going. Given a decade, he argued, the output would be remarkable, but that kind of patience and time is simply not a reality for filmmakers in India. “Those ten years will also cost a lot of money. But can a film afford it? You don’t want to burden a film in that way. Had Riteish had the liberty to go and spend a thousand crore on VFX, it would be a long road. You’ve to understand that checks and balances always happen,” added Bachchan.
Abhishek Bachchan on Raja Shivaji’s emotional core
Wrapping up his defence of the film, Abhishek made it clear that despite the noise around the VFX, his admiration for Riteish’s vision remains unwavering. He reminded everyone that at its core, ‘Raja Shivaji’ was always meant to be an emotional story, and that is exactly what it delivers. The VFX backlash, he said, will fade with time, but what truly matters is whether the film achieved what it set out to do within its means, and whether the story was told effectively. On both counts, he had no doubts, saying the answer is a resounding “yes.”
‘Raja Shivaji’: All about the cast and plot
Produced by Jio Studios and Mumbai Film Company, ‘Raja Shivaji’ comes with a stellar star-studded cast such as Riteish Deshmukh, Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sachin Khedekar, Bhagyashree, Fardeen Khan, Jitendra Joshi, Boman Irani, Amol Gupte, and Genelia Deshmukh. Salman Khan also makes a much-talked-about cameo appearance.