Actor-filmmaker Riteish Deshmukh Maharashtra is all set to dominate the box office on this day with the release of the historical epic ‘Raja Shivaji’. The film, which is already receiving huge bookings at the box office, will star an ensemble cast featuring Riteish. Chhatrapati Shivaji MaharajSanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Bhagyashree, Mahesh Manjerakar and Boman Irani in supporting roles. The film will also star Salman Khan in a special role opposite Riteish, the actor confirmed earlier this year.Now, ahead of the film’s release, Deshmukh revealed how he roped Salman into his next film after working together in films like ‘Ved’ and ‘Lai Bhari’. Talking about their longtime camaraderie, Deshmukh recalled how the superstar insisted on being a part of the project even before finalizing a role.“When I did ‘Lai Bhari’, Salman Khan was in it. At that time, he asked, ‘I want to do a scene’. When I was working on ‘Ved’, I called him and said, ‘Brother, I want to meet you.’ He said: “Finish!” “When?” I told him He said, ‘What role do you want to meet, is it done?’ He simply asked me: ‘How many days is the shoot?’ I said, ‘Two days’ and he said, ‘Done,'” Deshmukh said in an interview translated from Marathi, which was shared online by a fan handle.However, the actor revealed that the dynamic was a little different for ‘Raja Shivaji’. “I didn’t go to him in this film,” Riteish revealed, adding, “We were together on New Year’s. When I started shooting the film, he asked me. ‘It starts this month’. He said, ‘What role am I playing?'”.He then told Khan that he had no role for him, saying the superstar was adamant about being a part of the project. “No, no, no, no… you can’t make the movie without me, I have to be there.” That feeling of warmth and belonging, that emotion… I was thinking that I still hadn’t thought it through. He said, “I should have a role in the movie.” Then there was a role… and Salman Khan was also a part of this film.“‘Raja Shivaji’, a historical epic based on the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, will hit the theaters on May 1. While the film is on its way to launch at the box office, with a pre-estimated collection of Rs 3 crore in advance bookings, the film is expected to make a splash at the box office.The film will have a three-way clash with Bollywood love story ‘Ek Din’ starring Junaid Khan and Sai Pallavi in lead roles. It will also close its branches with the Hollywood comedy ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’. This Friday, the films Ranveer Singh’s ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’, Akshay Kumar’s ‘Bhooth Bangla’ and Michael Jackson’s biopic ‘Michael’ will hit the theaters amid an already crowded box office.
