'That Has Never Happened To Me Before': Abhishek Bachchan Reveals He Was Called Shambhu Raje At Traffic Signal

Riteish Deshmukh's Raja Shivaji, which was released on May 1, 2026, has been doing well at the box office. The film is a biopic on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and Riteish plays the lead role in it. But the movie also stars many other actors, including Abhishek Bachchan, who portrays the role of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in Raja Shivaji.

During an interview with India Today, Abhishek shared an incident where, at a traffic signal, someone called him Sambhu Raje. He said, “The other day I was stopped at a traffic signal, and someone called me Shambhu Raje. That has never happened to me before. It just shows what these figures mean to people, and that only adds to the responsibility on him (Riteish) as a director and writer to do justice.”

Abhishek Bachchan & Other Actors Worked For Free In Raja Shivaji

A few days ago, in an interview with Live Times, Riteish had revealed that Abhishek, Salman Khan, Vidya Balan, and other actors had worked for free in Raja Shivaji.

He said, "Salman Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Fardeen Khan, Boman Irani, Genelia Deshmukh, and I didn’t charge. We all have worked completely pro bono for this film to be what it is today.”

Raja Shivaji Box Office Collection

In 12 days, Raja Shivaji has collected Rs. 73.15 crore. The movie was released in Hindi and Marathi. So, in Marathi, till now it has collected Rs. 51.75 crore, and the Hindi version's collection is Rs. 21.40 crore.

Abhishek Bachchan Upcoming Movies

Abhishek currently has King lined up, which is slated to release in December this year. The movie, which is directed by Siddharth Anand, also stars Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Rani Mukerji, Suhana Khan, Arshad Warsi, Raghav Juyal, Abhay Verma, and others.

It is undoubtedly one of the most-awaited films of the year, and reportedly, Abhishek plays the antagonist in King.