Abhishek on being called Shambhu Raje at a traffic signal: It never happened to me

Actor Abhishek Bachchan opened up about the overwhelming love he received from Marathi audiences for Raja Shivaji. He credited his co-star and the film's director, Riteish Deshmukh, for trusting him with the role.

In Short

• Abhishek Bachchan was called Shambhu Raje after Raja Shivaji's release
• He praised Riteish Deshmukh for trusting him with the historical role
• Abhishek felt pride and pressure portraying revered historical characters

Actor Abhishek Bachchan has recalled being called Shambhu Raje, his character's name in Raja Shivaji, at a traffic signal after the release of the film. Calling it a surreal moment, he expressed that the response from Marathi audiences has been overwhelming.

In an interaction with India Today, Abhishek credited actor-filmmaker Riteish Deshmukh for trusting him with the role. He said the film drew him in because of its historical detail, political intrigue and the research behind it. Raja Shivaji was released in theatres on May 1.

Memorable moment after Raja Shivaji's release

Recalling a moment after the film’s release, Abhishek said he was recognised in public in a way he had not experienced before. “The other day I was stopped at a traffic signal, and someone called me Shambhu Raje. That has never happened to me before. It just shows what these figures mean to people, and that only adds to the responsibility and also on him as a director and writer to do justice,” he said.

The actor shared he was surprised by the love he had received from Marathi audiences, and credited Riteish for believing he could play the part.

History and politics drew him to the film

Abhishek said one of the most striking parts of the project for him was learning about aspects of history he did not know. This included hearing about the political complexities surrounding the lives of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.

“What amazed me was that when he first told me about the role, I wasn’t aware that Chhattrapthi Shivaji Maharaj had an elder brother and that they had this deep bond. Then he began telling me about the politics of that era, the conflicts, the layers - and it was incredibly intriguing,” he shared.

He also praised the work that had gone into building the film, saying researchers and historians were present on set throughout the shoot. “The depths that he had gone into his research was wonderful. He even had researchers and historians on set, and I loved picking their brains because I’m a huge history buff,” he said.

According to Abhishek, the film moves beyond the broad historical narrative that audiences are already familiar with and focuses on the intrigue and day-to-day pressures of the period.

He said, “What I truly enjoyed about the film was that, beyond the basics the world already knows about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, there’s so much more intrigue and depth. You can see the kind of issues he had to deal with on a day-to-day basis, the plot twists. I think that intrigue and those politics are what really set this film apart from the previous ones that have been made, apart from the scale that they’ve mounted it on.”

‘You don’t want to do them any injustice’

Abhishek said playing revered historical figures brought with it both pride and pressure.

“When you perform these scenes, you feel very proud. But you also have a great sense of responsibility because you feel like, ‘Oh gosh, we’re portraying characters who are revered.’ You don’t want to do them any injustice. You want to give them the respect they deserve. Your concentration is more on that. And when you see a positive reaction towards that, you’re relieved, but you’re also very, very happy,” he said.

‘He’s my little brother’

Speaking about why he said yes to the film, Abhishek said he did not question Riteish’s vision.

When asked whether he could see himself playing Sambhaji Raje, he replied, “Yes, because thankfully, he had not told me the character at that point of time. See, he’s my little brother. I will do anything for him. He just has to ask. But the greater faith and love is in the fact that I know he’s not going to ask me to do something that he’s not convinced I can do. So, I think there’s that mutual understanding.”

“I didn’t know he was coming to offer me a film. He just said, ‘Can I come over?’ I thought, okay, he’s just going to come hang out. But when he asks you something, I already know that he’s thought this out. So, I don’t need to think he’s just coming to take a favour. It’s not a favour. It’s something he’s thought about and convinced himself about before coming to me. He doesn’t take it lightly,” the actor added.

He further said Riteish probably knew he could approach him without being questioned too much, but that this only made it more important for him to be responsible about what he brought to him. Abhishek said Riteish had clearly been convinced about the casting. For him, that was the most important thing, because if Riteish could see him in the part, he could portray it as an actor.

Raja Shivaji was released in theatres on May 1.

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