Akshay Kumar to play Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Marathi film debut

Akshay Kumar:  Mahesh Manjrekar’s film is slated for a Diwali release next year and will be competing at the box office with Salman Khan’s Tiger 3.The film will be released pan-India in Marathi, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

Akshay as Shivaji Maharaj

He took to his social media and posted a picture in which he is seeking a blessing before the photo of Shivaji Maharaj, with Akshay’s reflection in the photo.He  wrote, “Aaj Marathi film Vedat Marathe Veer Daudle Saat ki shooting shuru kar raha hoon jis mein Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ji ki bhoomika kar pana mere liye sau-bhagya ki baat hai. Main unke jeevan se prerna le kar aur ma Jijau ke aashirwad se mera poora prayas karunga. Aashirvaad banaye rakhiyega.”

आज मराठी फ़िल्म ‘वेडात मराठे वीर दौड़ले सात’ की शूटिंग शुरू कर रहा हूँ जिसमें छत्रपति शिवाजी महाराज जी की भूमिका कर पाना मेरे लिये सौभाग्य है।मैं उनके जीवन से प्रेरणा लेकर और माँ जिजाऊ के आशीर्वाद से मेरा पूरा प्रयास करुंगा !
आशीर्वाद बनाए रखियेगा। pic.twitter.com/MC50jCdN8Z

— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) December 6, 2022

Twitter went crazy with this and Akshay Kumar started trending on Twitter with the hashtags Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Vedat Marathe Veer Daudle Saat.

He was already in news in connection to the speculation of being in the film Hera Pheri 3 which started the trend for the hashtag No Akshay No Hera Pheri.

Akshay Kumar in Regional Cinema

While the trend of Bollywood is to go South looking for inspiration or remakes, Akshay Kumar does the unthinkable when the A-List actor decides to go regional and makes his debut as an iconic proud native Indian historical character in The Marathi Film industry.

This will be a great boost for regional cinema as well and will add to much needed Indian desi pride.
Noted Film critic, Taran Adarsh tweeted the first look of Akshay Kumar in the film.

Here’s the #FirstLook of AKSHAY KUMAR as CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ… Director #MaheshManjrekar’s #VedatMaratheVeerDaudleSaat is slated for release in #Diwali 2023. #AkshayKumar pic.twitter.com/Yx4XtBDzxx

— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) December 6, 2022

This is the second biopic film after the not so successful Chandraprakash Dwivedi directed film Samrat Chauhan released in 2020 starring Manushi Chillar, Sanjay Dutt and Sonu Sood.
A Twitter user using Boycott Bollywood hashtag posted this in the context of Akshay playing Shivaji Maharaj.

Rocking star Yash is best suited for playing the role of Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Marathi film #VeerDaudaleSaat and not #AkshayKumar. They have not learned from the mistake of Samrat Prithviraj.@mukeshdube5 @kamaalrkhan @taran_adarsh#BoycottBollywood pic.twitter.com/JxuQOwVPgF

— SSR Warrior (@Sam71410650) November 2, 2022

Akshay’s fan’s of course could not stop marvelling at the announcement and his look and one twitter user posted

Sharad Kelkar vs Akshay Kumar

Some twitter users were making the comparison between Sharad Kelkar who played Shivaji Maharaj in Tanhaji and Akshay Kumar who will will now be playing playing the iconic Maratha Warrior Shivaji Maharaj.

The film also has an ensemble cast consisting of Jay Dudhane, Utkarsha Shinde, Vishal Nikam, Virat Madke, Hardik Joshi, Satya, Akshay, Nawab Khan, and Praveen Tarde.

Also Read : Akshay controversy again: The ad allegedly promotes dowry

Marathi Cinema’s Big Moment

Vedat Marathe Veer Daudle Saat, is undoubtedly the biggest-ever-film being made in the history of Marathi cinema. The director, Mahesh Manjrekar has been working on the film for the last seven years.

Will the story of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the most powerful Hindu King succeed to translate itself successfully on screen or will this high only remain as a short lived top trending hashtag?