There is a version of this story where a superstar waives his fee and a press release goes out. Everyone nods. Nobody feels anything. The story dies in 48 hours.
This is not that version.
When Abhishek Bachchan was approached by Riteish Deshmukh to play Sambhaji Shahaji Bhosale — the elder brother of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj — in what would become the most expensive Marathi film ever made, his response was so human, so immediate, and so utterly devoid of industry calculation that it has since become one of the most-discussed moments of Raja Shivaji‘s entire promotional journey.
Abhishek did not ask for a script. He did not call his manager. He did not negotiate.
He said: “I don’t want money. I just want thecha made by your mother.”
What Did Abhishek Bachchan Say About Waiving His Fee?
Speaking to News18 — in an interview that has since been widely covered by Bollywood Bubble and NewsBytesApp — Abhishek addressed the growing conversation around actor fees in the film directly and without defensiveness.
He said: “In today’s day and age, there are all these reels where people talk about facts and figures. We’ve no problems waiving anything off if we believe in something. It’s not a transaction. It’s an emotional transaction. You have to be inspired. That’s how art starts.”
Let those words breathe for a moment.
It’s not a transaction. It’s an emotional transaction.
In a Bollywood landscape where the fee structure of every A-list actor is dissected, leaked, discussed on YouTube channels, and turned into content — here is one of those actors saying, quietly and clearly: sometimes it is simply not about the money. And sometimes the thing that inspires you to show up is not a number on a contract but a story that is larger than all the contracts in the world.
What Did Riteish Deshmukh Reveal About Abhishek Saying Yes Without Reading the Script?
The story of how Abhishek came on board is, in many ways, more revealing than any interview.
As confirmed by India TV News, Riteish Deshmukh told Dainik Bhaskar: “When I narrated the story to Abhishek Bachchan and told him that I was directing it and that it was based on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, he said, ‘I don’t want money, I just want thecha made by your mother.'”
Thecha — for those unfamiliar — is a Maharashtrian green chilli and peanut chutney, typically made at home. It is not something you find on restaurant menus. It is the kind of thing you ask for only from someone whose home you consider your own.
Abhishek Bachchan’s ask was not for a fee. It was for a spicy Maharashtrian condiment from Riteish’s mother’s kitchen. That is the entire transaction. That is what his performance in Raja Shivaji cost.
It is worth noting separately that Riteish had initially been hesitant to even approach Abhishek, fearing the project’s Marathi roots might make it a difficult sell to a Bollywood actor of his stature. He approached him anyway. Abhishek agreed without even hearing the full script — driven purely by the friendship, the subject, and the man asking.
Who Else Worked for Free or Reduced Fees on Raja Shivaji?
Abhishek was not alone. What emerged from Riteish’s confirmation was a picture of collective, voluntary creative devotion that has few precedents in contemporary Indian cinema.
As confirmed by India TV News, the following actors either waived or significantly reduced their fees for Raja Shivaji, entirely out of personal belief in the project and devotion to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj:
- Abhishek Bachchan — waived fee entirely; asked only for thecha from Riteish’s mother
- Salman Khan — waived fee; personally asked Riteish to write him a role
- Vidya Balan — waived fee entirely
- Boman Irani — waived fee entirely
- Fardeen Khan — waived fee entirely
- Riteish Deshmukh himself — took no payment for acting, directing, or producing
- Genelia Deshmukh — took no payment for acting or producing
Riteish’s own words make the full picture clear: “Even Genelia and I did not take any payment for acting, directing or producing the film. Everyone came on board out of respect and devotion towards Maharaj Chhatrapati Shivaji.”
And then there is the Salman Khan story — which deserves its own sentence. Riteish did not approach Salman. Salman approached Riteish. He personally told the director: “If you are making a film on Shivaji, then write a role for me too.”
One of the highest-paid stars in Bollywood history, asking to be written into a film. For free. Because the subject demanded it.
What Role Does Abhishek Bachchan Play in Raja Shivaji?
Abhishek Bachchan plays a pivotal role as Sambhaji Shahaji Bhosale — the elder brother of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
This is not a cameo in the decorative sense. Sambhaji Shahaji Bhosale was a real historical figure — Shivaji Maharaj’s elder half-brother, a complex personality whose relationship with Shivaji was marked by political tension, competing loyalties, and family rivalry that played out against the backdrop of the Maratha Empire’s formation.
His appearance in the film generated strong reactions online, especially because it marked his first Marathi-language project. Many viewers praised his restrained performance, screen presence, and dialogue delivery, while critics noted that his portrayal added intensity to key confrontational moments in the film.
How Did Abhishek Feel About Speaking Marathi On Screen for the First Time?
This is one of the most endearing details of the entire Raja Shivaji story — and Abhishek has spoken about it with the same unguarded honesty that characterises everything he has said about this film.
He admitted feeling slightly nervous initially. “It was the first time I was speaking Marathi onscreen. Being born and brought up in Mumbai, you’re acquainted with it but if you’re doing something for the first time, there’s always a bit of trepidation. But with Riteish being there, I knew he would take care of it,” he said.
Think about what that means in practice. Abhishek Bachchan has been acting in Hindi films for over two decades. He has lived in Mumbai his entire life. Marathi is the language of the city he grew up in — the language of the bhajiwala outside his building, the autorickshaw driver, the staff at Cricket Club of India. And yet, saying it on screen for the first time, in a historical drama, as a real historical figure — that still brought a “bit of trepidation.”
That is not a weakness. That is the mark of someone who takes craft seriously enough to feel the weight of doing something new.
What Did Abhishek Say About Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh as Filmmakers?
If Abhishek’s remarks about his own fee were memorable, his words about the Deshmukhs are something else entirely. They are the words of a friend speaking about people he genuinely admires — and they carry the warmth of a relationship built over years, not months.
Bachchan praised Deshmukh and Genelia Deshmukh for their dedication to Raja Shivaji. He said, “At a time where there’s so much mathematics attached to films, they’ve affirmed that not everything is about figures. It was about their belief in wanting to do something larger than all of us. They never approached it as a project. It was very sacred to them.”
He continued with an observation about the production itself — one that every person who has ever worked on a large film set will understand immediately:
“It was a very challenging film to be made. The scale is something that Marathi cinema hasn’t seen before and to achieve that seamlessly and make sure that the unit is happy, safe and inspired… kudos to them, really! I don’t know anybody who had any complaints.”
I don’t know anybody who had any complaints.
On a film with a ₹75–100 crore budget, shot across Mumbai, Satara, Wai, Mahabaleshwar, and the Western Ghats — with a cast that includes Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan, Vidya Balan, Fardeen Khan, and Abhishek himself — that is not a small statement. It is the measure of producers who treated every person on their set with the same devotion they brought to their subject.
Bachchan further spoke about his bond with the Deshmukh family. He said, “I’ve known them for a very, very long time. They’re some of the sweetest and most down-to-earth people you’ll ever come across. They’re very dependable friends to me and my family. They’ve conducted themselves even as producers in that way.”
He also revealed that he had previously done a voiceover for one of the Deshmukhs’ earlier films — underscoring a creative relationship that predates Raja Shivaji by years.
What Is the Box Office Context Around All This?
Devotion and artistry are beautiful. They are also, as it turns out, good business.
Raja Shivaji has collected ₹62.42 crore in gross earnings in the first week, making it one of the first Marathi films to achieve such a monumental feat in a short span.
According to Wikipedia’s Raja Shivaji film page, the film was made simultaneously in Marathi and Hindi on a budget of ₹75–100 crore — making it the most expensive Marathi film ever produced. In its first week alone, it has recovered a significant portion of that investment — and with word-of-mouth as warm as it is, the second and third weeks could tell an even better story.
Films made from a place of genuine belief tend to find their audience. Raja Shivaji is proving that in real time.
What Does Abhishek Bachchan’s Decision Quietly Say About Him?
There is a longer conversation to be had about Abhishek Bachchan — one that goes beyond any single film or any single quote. He has spent much of his career navigating comparison, expectation, and the particular kind of scrutiny that comes with being the son of the most celebrated actor in Indian cinema’s history.
What Raja Shivaji represents, in its own small way, is Abhishek doing something entirely outside that conversation. He did not do this film to prove anything. He did not do it for a career move. He did not do it for a fee. He did it because a friend asked, because the subject was sacred, and because — in his own words — that is simply how art starts.
“It’s not a transaction. It’s an emotional transaction. You have to be inspired. That’s how art starts.”
There is something genuinely freeing about a person who, at this stage of their career, can say that with complete conviction. Not as PR. Not as philosophy. Just as the honest description of how one Thursday, Riteish Deshmukh told him a story about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj — and Abhishek Bachchan said yes, and asked for nothing but his friend’s mother’s thecha.
That is the whole story. And it is a good one.
Quick Facts: Raja Shivaji — The Film That Nobody Charged For
| Actor | Role | Fee Status |
|---|---|---|
| Riteish Deshmukh | Shivaji Maharaj (also writer-director) | Zero — acting + directing + producing |
| Genelia Deshmukh | Saibai (also producer) | Zero — acting + producing |
| Abhishek Bachchan | Sambhaji Shahaji Bhosale | Zero — asked for thecha instead |
| Salman Khan | Jeeva Mahala (cameo) | Zero — volunteered himself |
| Vidya Balan | Badi Begam | Zero |
| Boman Irani | Supporting role | Zero |
| Fardeen Khan | Shah Jahan | Zero |
| Sanjay Dutt | Afzal Khan | Reduced/waived (confirmed by Riteish) |
Film Budget: ₹75–100 crore (most expensive Marathi film ever) — Wikipedia Week 1 Gross: ₹62.42 crore — India TV News Release Date: May 1, 2026 — Maharashtra Day
Sources: Bollywood Bubble – Abhishek Interview · NewsBytesApp – Fee Waiver Story · India TV News – Riteish Confirms All Fee Waivers · Wikipedia – Raja Shivaji (film)
