Arjun Rampal joins Rishab Shetty’s ‘The Pride of Bharat’: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as main antagonist – Reports | Hindi Movie News

Following his breakout role in ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’, Arjun Rampal joins Rishab Shetty‑starrer The Pride of Bharat: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, a pan‑India epic on the Maratha warrior king. Produced and directed by Sandeep Singh, the film features Shefali Shah as Rajmata Jijabai and begins shooting in 2026, alongside a busy slate of pending releases for Rampal.

Following his scene-stealing turn in the record-breaking ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge,’ Rampal has been roped in for one of the most ambitious historical dramas of 2026-27. In a high-profile collaboration reported by Variety India, the actor will face off against ‘Kantara’ sensation Rishab Shetty in ‘The Pride of Bharat: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.’ This pan-India spectacle, which also marks producer Sandeep Singh‘s theatrical directorial debut, aims to bring the rich history of the Maratha Empire to life through cutting-edge visuals and emotional depth.

Arjun Rampal joins the cast

According to Variety India, Arjun will portray one of the film’s key antagonists and is the latest addition to the cast, which also stars Shefali Shah as Chhatrapati Shivaji’s mother, Rajmata Jijabai. Directed by Sandeep Singh, the film is slated to begin shooting in the second half of this year. With a stellar technical crew, including music by Pritam and cinematography by Ravi Varman, the film is set to begin production in the second half of 2026, positioning itself as a definitive cinematic tribute to India’s greatest warrior king.

About ‘The Pride of Bharat: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’

‘The Pride of Bharat: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’ celebrates the famous Maratha warrior’s life, bravery, and smart battle skills in a stunning visual story. The movie is an epic full of themes like courage and respect. It shows a warrior who fought major challenges, stood up to the powerful Mughal Empire, and created an enduring legacy.

Arjun Rampal’s busy lineup

This marks Arjun Rampal’s first project after ‘Dhurandhar’. Soon, he will star with Aditi Rao Hydari and Avinash Tiwary in Imtiaz Ali’s Netflix love story ‘O Saathi Re’. He has other films waiting to release, like Abbas Mustan’s ‘3 Monkeys’ and ‘Penthouse’, ‘Punjab ’95’, ‘Blind Game’, and ‘Battle of Bhima Koregaon’.

Competing Shivaji films

Rishab Shetty’s film is not the only one about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s life. Riteish Deshmukh also made a big film called ‘Raja Shivaji’, coming to theaters on May 1, 2026. It has a big cast like Genelia Deshmukh, Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Fardeen Khan, Bhagyashree, and Sachin Khedekar, among others. It shows Raje Shivaji in a new way never seen before.