Kamal Ghorui
Days before its theatrical release, Raja Shivaji has cleared a legal hurdle. The Bombay High Court on Thursday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) that sought to stall the film over the omission of the honorific “Chhatrapati” from its title.A Bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad held that the petition did not raise any genuine public interest, according to Bar and Bench. Rejecting the plea, the court observed, “This PIL is motivated, and it is quite apparent from the records as just two days before the release of the film, this PIL has been filed. In our opinion, the title of the movie in no manner is derogatory to the status of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.”The PIL had been filed by the Sree Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Foundation, which argued that dropping the title “Chhatrapati” was disrespectful to the 17th-century Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and hurt public sentiment.
‘Sought stay, title change’
Appearing for the petitioner, advocate Manoj Kumar Mishra urged the court to restrain the release, screening and public exhibition of the film. The plea also sought a direction to rename the film as “Chhatrapati Raja Shivaji” and asked the Central Board of Film Certification to re-examine the title.However, the court was not convinced, noting that the petitioner relied largely on publicly available information and failed to establish a larger public cause.“A PIL which originated with guiding philosophy to ensure that voice of voiceless is heard… seems to have been reduced by a petition like the present one,” the Bench remarked while dismissing the plea.
‘Film shows pre-coronation phase’
Defending the film, advocate Shardul Singh, appearing for the makers including actor-director Riteish Deshmukh, told the court that the story focuses on Shivaji Maharaj’s life before his coronation as “Chhatrapati” in 1674.He submitted, “The film depicts the life before coronation, and a disclaimer to this effect has been added, which has been approved by the CBFC.”Singh also pointed out that the project was announced in February 2024 and its May 1, 2026 release date had been in the public domain since 2025, questioning the timing of the petition.
Relief for makers ahead of release
With the court refusing to halt the film, Raja Shivaji is set to release as scheduled. The film, co-written, directed by and starring Riteish Deshmukh, features an ensemble cast including Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sachin Khedekar, Bhagyashree, Fardeen Khan, Jitendra Joshi and Amole Gupte, with a cameo by Salman Khan.
