The biopic about the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj directed by Amit Rai and starring Shahid Kapoor, has, for now, been cancelled. The ambitious project aimed to highlight the legacy of the historical figure Shivaji Maharaj, and was recently announced as being indefinitely shelved.
Amit Rai mentioned that the hurdles of the film industry were the reason for the film’s collapse. Apparently, casting woes, production logistics, and creative and management hurdles caused the film to fall apart entirely. Rai also mentioned frustrations with the rapid judgement culture of the film industry, which he believes intervenes into their creative judgements, per media reports.
This marks yet another tough chapter in Rai’s film making career. Rai’s 2023 release Oh My God 2 with Akshay Kumar and Pankaj Tripathi, faced major obstacles because of the film’s sensitive subject matter. The film underwent excessive changes and censorship just to be able to release.
With the Shivaji film no longer moving forward, Shahid Kapoor will move onto Arjun Ustara, which is a new film directed by Vishal Bhardwaj. The film also stars Triptii Dimri and is Kapoor’s fourth film with Bhardwaj, having previously starred in Kaminey, Haider, and Rangoon.
The shelving of the Shivaji biopic reflects the persistent difficulties faced by filmmakers working on large-scale historical narratives, particularly when creative ambitions clash with industry constraints.
