'Raja Shivaji's Hindi version shorter than the Marathi version
What's the story
The upcoming film Raja Shivaji, starring Riteish Deshmukh, will be released in two versions, Marathi and Hindi. However, unlike most bilingual films that have the same runtime with only a language difference, this one will not follow that pattern. The Hindi version of the film is shorter by eight minutes than its Marathi counterpart, according to Bollywood Hungama.
Certification details
How long is the Hindi version?
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has certified the Hindi version of Raja Shivaji with a U/A 16+ certificate on Tuesday, April 28. The film's runtime, as per the certificate, is 187.05 minutes (3 hours and 7 minutes and 5 seconds). No changes were suggested by the CBFC since all modifications had already been made for the Marathi version. However, they did recommend that names of chapters, dates, events, and locations be mentioned in Hindi.
Marathi version details
Marathi version received censor certificate earlier
The Marathi version of Raja Shivaji received its censor certificate on April 24. The runtime for this version is 195.05 minutes (3 hours, 15 minutes, and 5 seconds), making it exactly eight minutes longer than the Hindi version. An industry insider commented on this difference, saying, "Usually, two versions of a film have the exact same duration." "However, Riteish Deshmukh has tried a novel experiment and kept the narrative crisp for the Hindi audience."
Unique strategy
Insider says Marathi audience will be 'attracted to local flavor'
The insider further added, "Meanwhile, for the Marathi audience, which would probably be more attracted to the film due to the local flavor, the actor-director has gone for a longer version." This difference in runtime was also observed in the trailers of Raja Shivaji; while the Marathi trailer is 3 minutes and 5 seconds long, its Hindi counterpart is 2 minutes and 59 seconds long.
Cast and crew
About 'Raja Shivaji'
Raja Shivaji features a star-studded cast including Deshmukh, Genelia Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Vidya Balan, Fardeen Khan, Bhagyashree, Amole Gupte, Sachin Khedekar, and Jitendra Joshi. The movie is produced by Deshmukh and Genelia's Mumbai Film Company in association with Jyoti Deshpande's Jio Studios. It will be released on Friday, May 1.