Raja Shivaji box office Day 9: Riteish Deshmukh’s historical drama crosses ₹60 crore mark

Raja Shivaji continued its strong run at the box office as Riteish Deshmukh’s historical epic crossed the ₹60 crore mark on its ninth day in theatres.

Despite a slight slowdown after its opening weekend, the film has maintained steady collections, with the Marathi version significantly outperforming the Hindi release. According to trade tracker Sacnilk, the film earned ₹5.60 crore net in India on Saturday, taking its total domestic collection to ₹61.45 crore.

The film had collected ₹3.20 crore on Friday after wrapping up a successful first week with ₹55.85 crore net. Raja Shivaji opened strongly on May 1 with ₹11.35 crore and witnessed further growth over the weekend, earning ₹10.55 crore on Saturday and ₹12 crore on Sunday.

Like most big releases, the film saw a drop during the weekdays but managed to remain stable at the ticket window. It collected ₹5.60 crore on Monday, followed by ₹4.90 crore on Tuesday, before settling at ₹4.25 crore on Wednesday and ₹4 crore on Thursday.

The film also faced competition from Ek Din starring Junaid Khan and Sai Pallavi, but the clash did little to dent Raja Shivaji’s momentum. While the historical drama continued attracting audiences, Ek Din struggled to gain traction at the box office.

Directed and co-written by Riteish Deshmukh, the film chronicles the life and legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, founder of the Maratha Empire. Riteish also plays the lead role alongside Genelia Deshmukh, who portrays Saibai.

The ensemble cast includes Abhishek Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sachin Khedekar, Bhagyashree, Fardeen Khan, Jitendra Joshi and Amole Gupte. The film has also generated buzz for Salman Khan’s special appearance, which has drawn loud reactions from audiences in theatres.

Another talking point around the film has been the acting debut of Riteish and Genelia’s son, Rahyl. Produced by Genelia Deshmukh and Jyoti Deshpande, the project had a long and difficult journey before finally reaching theatres.

Initially announced in 2016, the film went through multiple delays and setbacks before being revived again after the pandemic. Riteish recently addressed speculation surrounding the film’s reported ₹100 crore budget during an appearance on The Right Angle podcast.

“Only the producers know the real budget. Audiences should focus on experiencing the film rather than discussing numbers,” the actor-filmmaker said while reacting to the rumours.

With the second weekend underway, trade analysts are now watching closely to see whether Raja Shivaji can maintain its momentum and push towards an even bigger box office milestone.