Amit Trivedi Steps Up for Chhatrapati Shivaji Epic
FilmiTalk Take
Amit Trivedi's appointment is not just a replacement — it is a genuine upgrade in creative ambition for a film that demands a composer unafraid of scale and emotional depth. If he delivers, this could be a career-defining moment for Trivedi and a landmark soundtrack for Indian historical cinema.
When a composer of Pritam’s stature steps away from a project, it could easily feel like a setback — but the team behind The Pride of Bharat: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj may have just stumbled into something even more exciting with National Award-winner Amit Trivedi stepping in to take over music duties.
Pritam recently revealed he is taking a deliberate break from mainstream cinema, a decision that clearly had ripple effects across his upcoming commitments. It is a move that has surprised many in the industry, given how synonymous his sound has become with big Bollywood productions over the past two decades. But creative sabbaticals are not unheard of, and frankly, the man has earned the right to step back and recharge.
What makes this development genuinely compelling is who has been brought in to replace him. Amit Trivedi is not simply a safe substitute — he is a composer with a proven ability to shift between intimate storytelling and sweeping grandeur, often within the same film. From Dev D to Udaan to Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Trivedi has demonstrated a musical range that few of his contemporaries can match. The idea of him tackling a large-scale historical epic about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, a figure of immense reverence across Maharashtra and beyond, is genuinely intriguing. This will mark his first Hindi historical feature, which adds another layer of anticipation around what he might bring to the table.
The creative pairing with lyricist Prasoon Joshi, who has been with the project from its early stages, also bodes well. Joshi’s writing carries a literary weight that suits epic storytelling — his work on films like Rang De Basanti and Taare Zameen Par showed he understands how to anchor emotion within larger cultural narratives. A Trivedi-Joshi collaboration for a film of this magnitude feels like a genuinely thoughtful creative match rather than a rushed replacement.
For South Asian audiences, particularly those with deep ties to Maratha history and the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the music of this film will carry enormous emotional significance. Historical epics live and die not just on spectacle but on how their soundtracks make audiences feel connected to the era being depicted. The pressure on Trivedi to deliver something both historically resonant and cinematically powerful is real, but it is also exactly the kind of challenge he tends to rise to.
The broader project itself continues to generate considerable buzz. Directed by Sandeep Singh and starring Rishab Shetty — who earned massive cross-industry credibility with Kantara — alongside Arjun Rampal and Vivek Oberoi, this two-part saga is shaping up to be one of the more ambitious pan-India productions in the pipeline. With production reportedly set to begin later this year, the pieces of the creative puzzle are slowly falling into place.
If Amit Trivedi can channel even a fraction of the musical soul he brought to his earlier work into a story as grand and emotionally layered as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s life, this soundtrack could become something audiences carry with them long after the credits roll. The question worth asking is — do you think Amit Trivedi has what it takes to score the definitive musical tribute to one of India’s greatest historical icons, or was Pritam’s original vision irreplaceable?
