Raja Shivaji Is Now the 2nd Biggest Marathi Film Ever — and Sairat's Rs 110 Cr Record Is the Target

“Raja Shivaji is Rs 92.81 crore worldwide after 15 days. It has become the second-highest grossing Marathi film of all time. Sairat's Rs 110 crore record — which has stood for a decade — is now within reach.”

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED

As of May 15, 2026 (Day 15), Raja Shivaji achieved a worldwide gross of Rs 92.81 crore and an India net of Rs 78.40 crore, surpassing Baipan Bhari Deva (Rs 90.50 crore) to become the second-highest grossing Marathi film in history. It requires Rs 17 crore more to overtake Sairat's Rs 110 crore worldwide total — a record that has stood since 2016. The third-week weekend is expected to provide a meaningful push. The film's language split (Marathi vs Hindi) stands at approximately Rs 56 crore (Marathi) vs Rs 24 crore (Hindi dubbed). Previous record-holders Sairat and Baipan Bhari Deva were purely Marathi-language productions; Raja Shivaji's Hindi version has expanded its commercial footprint outside Maharashtra meaningfully.

THE INSIDER TAKE

The Hindi version is doing important structural work here that the pure Marathi predecessors could not access. Rs 24 crore from the Hindi-dubbed version across two weeks means roughly 30% of the total came from outside the Marathi-first audience — a first for a Marathi blockbuster at this scale. Sairat's Rs 110 crore is a landmark that the industry assumed no Marathi film would touch for years. Raja Shivaji beating it is not guaranteed — week three is traditionally weak — but it is a realistic target if the weekend holds at Rs 5-6 crore.

WHY THIS MATTERS

A new Marathi all-time box office record would validate every production and distribution decision Riteish Deshmukh, Genelia Deshmukh, and Jio Studios made on this film. It would also signal to the wider Bollywood industry that investing in high-quality regional content — built on cultural authenticity first, pan-India reach second — is commercially viable at the Rs 75-100 crore budget level.

WHAT FANS ARE MISSING

Sairat's Rs 110 crore record was achieved in 2016 with a much smaller theatrical infrastructure and significantly lower ticket prices. On a per-footfall basis, Raja Shivaji may have already reached fewer people — the record-breaking is a revenue milestone, not a cultural reach milestone. That distinction matters to how the Marathi film industry actually assesses its growth.

QUICK FACTS

• Worldwide Gross (Day 15): Rs 92.81 crore

• India Net (Day 15): Rs 78.40 crore

• Previous Record: Sairat (Rs 110 crore, 2016)

• To Break Record: Needs ~Rs 17 crore more

• Director: Riteish Deshmukh

• OTT Platform (Post-Theatres): TBA — JioHotstar expected (India + International)

FANS ALSO ASKED

Q: Is Raja Shivaji the highest-grossing Marathi film?

A: Not yet — as of May 15, it is the second highest-grossing Marathi film at Rs 92.81 crore worldwide, needing Rs 17 crore more to beat Sairat's decade-old Rs 110 crore record.

Q: How close is Raja Shivaji to breaking Sairat's record?

A: Approximately Rs 17 crore away from Sairat's Rs 110 crore all-time Marathi record, which has stood since 2016.

Q: Why has Raja Shivaji outperformed previous Marathi films?

A: It is the first major Marathi blockbuster with a simultaneously released Hindi dubbed version, which contributed roughly Rs 24 crore from outside Maharashtra — new commercial territory for Marathi cinema.

Q: Who stars in Raja Shivaji?

A: Riteish Deshmukh (who also directed) plays Chhatrapati Shivaji, with Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Genelia Deshmukh, Fardeen Khan, and a reported Salman Khan cameo in the ensemble.