Raja Shivaji sets the mood instantly. From the very start, Riteish Vilasrao Deshmukh shows the villains as backstabbers and inhumane. Hence, viewers immediately feel a lot of anger towards them and would root for their downfall. Watching the film is like going through your school history textbook. Several events we have studied come alive on screen. A few scenes are massy and emotional and will be greeted with claps and whistles. The intermission point is dramatic, while the climax is the best part of the enterprise. On the flipside, this 195-minute-long film should have been shorter by at least 15 minutes. The interest dips in the middle portions of both first as well as second half. Moreover, the VFX is tacky in some scenes and the action could have been a bit more realistic. Riteish Vilasrao Deshmukh gives his 100% to the role. However, despite his best efforts, he falls short to some extent when compared to other portrayals of Shivaji Maharaj by actors like Sharad Kelkar, Chinmay Mandlekar and Mahesh Manjrekar. Sanjay Dutt is aptly cast as the villain. Abhishek A Bachchan delivers his massiest performance in a long time. Genelia Deshmukh and Bhagyashree get into the skin of their characters and contribute immensely. Vidya Balan is quite arresting, while Amole Gupte raises laughs in a crucial scene. Fardeen Khan is horribly wasted. Sachin Khedekar, Mahesh Manjrekar, Boman Irani, and Jitendra Joshi (Pant Gopinaath Bokil) do well in small roles. Salman Khan (Jiva Mahala) is superb in a cameo. All in all, Raja Shivaji is worth watching for its mass-appealing scenes, climax and of course, its ode to a great warrior.
My rating – *** out of 5!