3 Hours 15 Minutes? Is Long the New Strong?
Remember when a film over three hours was practically a death sentence at the box office? Filmmakers used to trim, snip, and cut anything to get under that dreaded mark. Well, those days, my friends, seem to be over. And Riteish Deshmukh's highly anticipated historical epic, Raja Shivaji, is riding this new wave like a pro.
BollyTadka has got the exclusive scoop: Raja Shivaji is officially a whopping 3 hours, 15 minutes, and 5 seconds long! That's 195.05 minutes for you number crunchers. This puts it squarely in an elite club of recent blockbusters that have dared to go long – films like Animal (203 mins), Pushpa 2 – The Rule (200 mins), and even upcoming ones like Dhurandhar (214 mins) and Border 2 (199 mins). What's the common thread here? All these movies, or at least the released ones, have been absolute massive grossers. Clearly, audiences are craving an immersive, lengthy experience, and makers aren't shying away from delivering.
Censor Board's Close Look: From Disclaimers to Child Violence
Getting a historical drama of this scale through the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is never a cakewalk, and Raja Shivaji was no exception. The film completed its censor process just yesterday, on April 24, and walked away with a U/A 16+ certificate. Yes, you read that right – U/A 16+, which is an interesting distinction for a U/A rating, hinting at some mature themes despite the broader audience appeal.
The Examining Committee (EC) did suggest a few modifications, which, honestly, sound pretty standard for a historical film. The makers had to:
- Modify the disclaimer for more clarity and add a voiceover.
- Provide a proper clarification for choosing the title ‘Raja Shivaji’.
- Submit proper documents for all historical references used.
- Submit a script matching the film's dialogues and songs.
- Add specific dates and text slates for key historical events.
But here's the crucial bit: there were only two minor cuts. One was a rather impactful instruction to replace visuals of a small boy's throat being slit with an appropriate, less graphic shot. Good call on that, honestly. Child violence is a tough watch, yaar. The other was simply adding audio for muted visuals, which is just good filmmaking hygiene.
With Riteish Deshmukh taking on the titular role of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and a stellar ensemble cast including Genelia Deshmukh, Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Fardeen Khan, Bhagyashree, and more, this film is packed with star power. Produced by Riteish and Genelia's Mumbai Film Company along with Jio Studios, Raja Shivaji is all set to hit cinemas on May 1. The trailer has already garnered shoutouts from industry biggies like Akshay Kumar, Karan Johar, and Nagraj Manjule, so the buzz is definitely building. Let's see if this epic runtime translates into an epic theatrical run!
