Hindi Version Of Riteish Deshmukh's Raja Shivaji Shorter By 8 Minutes Than Marathi Cut, Here's Why

Riteish Deshmukh’s upcoming historical drama Raja Shivaji is set to release on May 1 in both Marathi and Hindi. However, unlike most multilingual releases, the two versions of the film will not share the same runtime. According to reports, the Hindi version of Raja Shivaji will be shorter by eight minutes compared to its Marathi counterpart.

A Bollywood Hungama report stated that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has granted the film a UA 16+ certificate. The Marathi version has a runtime of three hours, 15 minutes, and five seconds, while the Hindi version clocks in at three hours, seven minutes, and five seconds.

Interestingly, the difference in duration is not due to any censor cuts. Instead, it is said to be a creative choice made by Riteish himself. The Marathi version reportedly received its censor clearance on April 24 with a runtime of 195.05 minutes, confirming that the Hindi version has been trimmed by exactly eight minutes.

A source close to the development explained to the portal the unusual decision, saying, "It is unusual for different language versions of the same film to have varying durations. Usually, two versions of a film have the exact same duration. However, Riteish has tried a novel experiment and kept the narrative crisp for the Hindi audience. Meanwhile, for the Marathi audience, which would probably be more attracted to the film due to the local flavour, the actor-director has gone for a longer version."

The variation between the two versions was also visible in the film’s promotional material. While the Marathi trailer runs for three minutes and five seconds, the Hindi version is slightly shorter at two minutes and 59 seconds.

Raja Shivaji features Riteish in the role of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and boasts a star-studded ensemble including Genelia Deshmukh, Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Fardeen Khan, Bhagyashree, Sachin Khedekar, Amole Gupte, and Jitendra Joshi, among others.

Raja Shivaji is gearing up for a theatrical release on May 1.