T-Series has officially boarded The Pride of Bharat – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the two-part historical epic being built around Rishab Shetty and producer Sandeep Singh. The announcement was made by Bhushan Kumar, and the project is currently in pre-production with shooting scheduled to start in early 2027.
Two films for one legacy
The makers are not compressing the Maratha ruler’s life into a single film. The project is planned as two instalments that will trace his battles, victories, sacrifices and lesser-known stories, alongside his leadership, military strategies and the vision of Swarajya.
No lead cast has been revealed yet, but the production is being put together on a grand scale. The team says it will feature a large ensemble cast and creative talent from India and abroad.
A gesture that sets the tone
To mark the collaboration, Bhushan Kumar presented Rishab Shetty with a century-old painting of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It is a symbolic gesture, and it gives a sense of how the team wants the project to be seen: as a responsibility towards a historical legacy rather than another period film.
Bhushan Kumar said Maharashtra and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj have given “a legacy to be proud of,” and that the job is to honour that legacy through cinema and share it with the world. He added that Sandeep Singh’s narration made him feel a deep responsibility to bring the story to screen, and that Rishab Shetty’s screen presence and ability to bring legendary figures to life made the combination right.
Why the two-part bet matters
Two-part epics are a specific kind of commitment in Hindi cinema. They require sustained financing, a longer production schedule and two separate theatrical releases that each have to justify the investment. T-Series coming aboard at this stage is a signal that the film will be mounted at a scale the material appears to demand.
For audiences, the structure also creates room. A life as dense as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s can easily be reduced to familiar highlights; two films allow the makers to include the lesser-known stories and military strategy that often get cut in a single biopic.
What has been announced so far
- Format: Two-part historical epic.
- Partners: T-Series, Sandeep Singh and Rishab Shetty.
- Status: Pre-production; filming begins early 2027.
- Promise: A large ensemble and Indian and international creative talent.
- Release date: Not announced.
What to watch next
With the title and production partnership locked, the next milestones are casting and key crew announcements. A project of this size usually reveals its actors in stages, and the technical team will be just as important as the faces on screen. For now, the name to follow is The Pride of Bharat – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Source: Filmfare