Riteish Deshmukh on the success of Dhurandhar and the changing preferences of the audience in cinema: ‘You can’t blind yourself to the changes’. hindi movie news
Ritesh Deshmukh Has said that after the success of ‘Dhurandhar’ and ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’, Hindi cinema cannot be limited to one format. The actor-filmmaker, who is gearing up for the release of his historical drama ‘Raja Shivaji’, said filmmakers should be aware of the changing tastes of the audience but should not assume that only one style of storytelling will work. He said Indian audiences are broad and open to different types of films when the story connects.
Riteish Deshmukh spoke on changing Hindi cinema
According to Bollywood Hungama, Riteish talked about changes in cinema while discussing ‘Raja Shivaji’. Commenting on the impact of Aditya Dhar’s ‘Dhurandhar’ films, he said, “I think one has to be really aware of the changes happening around one. You can’t blind yourself to the changes. And when something really works, something great like Dhurandhar or Dhurandhar The Revenge happens and there is a different narrative, different stories, style of telling, different approach and a new hero… a new kind of hero. So, it is always welcome. You feel excited about it.”
He said the success of one format should not cause the industry to ignore other stories. Riteish said, “But I just feel that our audience is very huge and if there is a good story they will come out and watch it and also celebrate it.”
‘Raja Shivaji’ release and cast details
Riteish said, “If there is any particular film, I think it would be really limiting on our part to think that only these kind of stories or these kind of things will work. Because when Dhurandhar came, it was one of its kind, when Saiyara came, it was one of its kind. So, if you look at the films that have actually worked… when Chhava came, no one thought that it would do this kind of business for that genre.”He said that these films proved that audiences accept many types of cinema. He added, “So, ultimately all these films have set standards for themselves and it proves, look at the bigger picture.”Ritesh plays the role of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in ‘Raja Shivaji’. He has also directed and co-written the film, which will release on May 1, 2026. The cast includes Genelia Deshmukh, Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Fardeen Khan and Salman Khan in special roles.