‘Raja Shivaji’ is doing things a little differently. Riteish Deshmukh’s movie about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will be in theaters on May t, and the Hindi and Marathi showings won’t be the same length. This shortening of eight minutes for the Hindi version was a definite plan before the movie is released.
Two Cuts, One Story
On April 24th, the Marathi version got permission to be shown (its censor certificate) and will run for 195.05 minutes, or 3 hours, 15 minutes and 5 seconds. The Hindi version was approved by the CBFC on April 28th, getting a U/A 16+ rating, and is exactly eight minutes shorter.
Key certification and runtime details are as follows:
– Marathi runtime: 195.05 minutes
– Marathi certified on April 24
– Hindi runtime: 8 minutes shorter
– Hindi certified on April 28 with U/A 16+
– Release date: May 1 in Marathi and Hindi
Why The Hindi Cut Is Shorter
The report says that Riteish Deshmukh is trying a faster-moving story for the Hindi-speaking audience. People in Maharashtra are expected to already know a lot about the story, so the Marathi version keeps its longer length.
We had a hint of this before. The Marathi trailer is 3 minutes and 5 seconds long, but the Hindi one is 2 minutes and 59 seconds. Even the short previews showed that the two versions will tell the story at a slightly different speed.
Cast, Scale, And Budget
Riteish Deshmukh plays Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and his ten-year-old son, Rahyl Deshmukh, plays the young Shivaji. The movie has a huge group of stars: Sanjay Dutt as Afzal Khan, Abhishek Bachchan as Sambhaji, Fardeen Khan as Aurangzeb, and Genelia Deshmukh as Saibai.
Bhagyashree is Jijabai, and Vidya Balan, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sachin Khedekar, Jitendra Joshi and Amole Gupte are also in the film. Salman Khan will make a quick appearance. The movie cost around 100 crore rupees to make, and is the most expensive Marathi film ever.
Release Plan And Languages
‘Raja Shivaji’ will be released in Marathi and Hindi on May 1st. With both versions approved, the film is ready for a Maharashtra Day release and has a large historical story and many stars attached.
An update on the release says that the movie will be in Marathi, Hindi and Telugu all over the world on May 1, 2026. It’s being shown by Jio Studios and made by Jyoti Deshpande and Genelia Deshmukh for Mumbai Film Company.
The report also says that because it’s so big and has so many stars, ‘Raja Shivaji’ will likely be one of the biggest films of t2026. The time it’s being released, the topic of the film and the different edits for the two languages all show a bold attempt to make a lot of money at the box office.
What This Means For Audiences
The Hindi version has a little bit trimmed from it, while the Marathi version has the full length. The intention is clearly to change how quickly the story unfolds without changing the story itself. When the movie starts on May 1st, the audience will see two versions of the movie, all part of one idea, and a massive film that can be shown in many places.
