Vicky Kaushal-starrer Chhaava has been the biggest Hindi hit of the year so far and until Saiyaara came along, it seemed like Chhaava’s throne might remain untouched. While that is yet to be determined, another film based on the life of another Maratha king, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, has been shelved. Amit Rai, of OMG 2 fame, was going to direct the film and Shahid Kapoor was attached to the project. Amit blamed the “cruel system” for his film getting shelved and said that despite his last film doing really well, his hard work of five years has been destroyed.
In a chat with Mid-day, Amit said, “The system is so cruel. Even if you have proved your mettle with a R180 crore film [OMG 2], it’s not enough.” Amit did not explain why his project was shelved but expressed his disappointment with the systemic problems of the film industry. “How is a director supposed to work here, under these systems of casting, production, star, and management? You live with a story for five years, and within minutes, somebody writes a five-pager, pointing out what is wrong and what is right in the film,” he said.
In 2024, it was reported that Amit’s film would be produced by Telugu film producer Dil Raju, and Shahid was already attached to the project. At the time, he was also going to star in Ashwatthama, which was later put on hold due to budget constraints.
Meanwhile, Riteish Deshmukh has already announced his film, Raja Shivaji, based on the life of Shivaji. Riteish is directing the film and will also play the lead role here. The film also stars Abhishek Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sachin Khedekar, Bhagyashree, Fardeen Khan, Amole Gupte, and Genelia Deshmukh.
