Raja Shivaji Is Quietly Building a Box Office Empire — Can Riteish Deshmukh’s Epic Cross Rs. 100 Crore?

Six days in and Raja Shivaji is doing something that very few films manage — holding its nerve on weekdays. A 15% drop on Wednesday, with Maharashtra showing an even tighter under-10% decline, tells you this film has genuine audience word-of-mouth working in its favour, not just opening weekend hype.

Riteish Deshmukh’s passion project about the legendary Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is now staring at a Rs. 61 crore first week, and the Rs. 100 crore milestone — which would crown it the highest-grossing Marathi film ever — feels very much within reach. But here’s where it gets interesting: films like Tanhaji and Chhaava, both rooted in Maratha pride, didn’t just cross Rs. 100 crore — they demolished expectations entirely. Maharashtra audiences have historically shown extraordinary loyalty to stories that celebrate their heritage.

The second Friday becomes the real litmus test. Staying above Rs. 4 crore that day could signal legs strong enough to push this into truly legendary territory. Could Raja Shivaji become the Marathi industry’s first genuine blockbuster phenomenon?