Riteish Deshmukh is basking in the success of his historical epic Raja Shivaji. The film, which has already received excellent response at the box office, stars Riteish as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, with Genelia, Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Bhagyashree, Mahesh Manjerakar, and Boman Irani in supporting parts. Salman Khan also plays a unique role opposite Riteish, which was the highlight of the movie.
Now, as the movie premieres, Deshmukh revealed how Salman joined him on the project after they collaborated on movies like Ved and Lai Bhari. Speaking about their enduring friendship, Deshmukh remembered how the celebrity demanded to be included in the movie even before a role was decided.
How Salman Khan landed role in Raja Shivaji?
“When I did Lai Bhari, Salman Khan was in it. At the time, he requested, ‘I want to do a scene.’ When I was working on Ved, I called him and said, ‘Brother, I want to meet you’. He said, ‘Done!’ I said, ‘When?’ He said, ‘For which role you want to meet, it’s done?’ He just asked me, ‘How many days is the shoot?’ I said, ‘Two days’ and he just said, ‘Done’,” Deshmukh shared in an interview translated from Marathi, which was shared online by a fan handle, as reported by TOI.
When Salman insisted on a role in Raja Shivaji
However, the actor revealed that the casting process was slightly different for Raja Shivaji. “I didn’t go to him in this film,” Riteish revealed and went on to add, “We were together on New Year’s. He asked me when I was starting to shoot the movie. I said, ‘It’s starting this month.’ He said, ‘Which role am I playing?'”
He then shared that, on telling Salman that he didn’t have a role for him, he said that the superstar was insistent about being part of the project.
“He said, ‘No, no, no… you can’t make the film without me, I have to be in it.’ That sense of warmth and belonging, that emotion I was thinking that I hadn’t really thought it through yet. He said, ‘I should have a role in the film.’ Then there was a role and Salman Khan was also a part of this film.”
About Raja Shivaji
The historical epic Raja Shivaji, which is based on the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, opens in theatres on May 1. With an estimated Rs 3 crore revenue from simply advance reservations, the movie is off to a great start at the box office and is eager to make a big impression.
