Riteish Deshmukh‘Raja Shivaji’ is receiving love from the audience in the theatres. The historical drama also has an ensemble cast Vidya Balan. The actress plays the character of Badi Begum, the wife of Sultan Mohammed Adil Shah of Bijapur. However, did you know that he wasn’t the first choice for the role?
the taboo it was the first choice; Vidya Balan picked up the call
Riteish Deshmukh’s ambitious bilingual film ‘Raja Shivaji’ is the latest chapter in this story. According to a Free Press Journal report, Tabu was the first choice to play Badi Begum, also known as Tajul Mukkhidarat Badi Sahiba. However, date conflicts forced Tabu to decline, and Riteish approached Vidya Balan, who immediately accepted. At the trailer launch, Vidya made her excitement clear and said she wouldn’t pass up the chance to play such a “challenging” role, especially in a bilingual production that includes Marathi and Hindi.This is not the first time the witness has passed this way. When they were shooting for ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’, Tabu turned it down again, but this time, by choice. After giving a famous double performance as Anjulika and Manjulika in ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’, she felt there was no “challenge to do the same thing” again and gracefully walked away. The makers then brought in Vidya Balan and Madhuri Dixit to fill the gap.
More about ‘Raja Shivaji’
Directed by Riteish Deshmukh, the actor plays Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha Empire and Swarajya. It also has stars Sanjay DuttAbhishek Bachchan, Sachin Khedekar, Vidya Balan, Amole Gupte, Bhagyashree, Genelia Deshmukh, Fardeen Khan and more.The cast includes Jitendra Joshi, Boman Irani, Mahesh Manjrekar, Ashok Samarth, Suresh Vishwakarma and more. Salman Khan has a cameo in the film as Jiva Mahala. The film opened in theaters on May 1, 2026.
