'Raja Shivaji': Rakhi Sawant dons white saree as she arrives for the premiere of Riteish Deshmukh starrer; says, 'Respect dena jaruri hai'

Riteish Deshmukh's ambitious project 'Raja Shivaji' hit theaters today, May 1, 2026. Ahead of its release, the makers hosted a premiere in Mumbai. The cast of the period drama, along with several celebrities from the film and TV world, attended the special screening. Rakhi Sawant was one of the celebrities who graced the premiere.For the 'Raja Shivaji' premiere, Rakhi Sawant ditched her regular attire, draping an ivory toned saree with a contrasting maroon blouse and adding jewelry to complete her look. Talking to the media, she said, "Unki izzat honi chahiye, woh humare Maharaj hai. Hum unka Balidan, unhone jo fight kia hai, purey Maharashtra ko, aur pure desh ko, unhone azad karwaya Mughalo se. So, unko respect dena jaruri hai. Islie me pura ekdum Maharashtrian attire pehenkar aayi hu (He is our Maharaj. We must honor his sacrifice and the battles he fought; he helped free all of Maharashtra and the entire country from the Mughals. So it’s important to show him respect. That’s why I have come dressed completely in traditional Maharashtrian attire)."Take a look here.The movie is based on the life of the Maratha emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj—the founder of Swarajya. Apart from playing the titular character, Riteish Deshmukh also directed the film.The period drama also stars Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sachin Khedekar, Bhagyashree, Fardeen Khan, Jitendra Joshi, Amole Gupte, and Genelia Deshmukh. The ensemble star cast also includes Boman Irani, Siddharth Jadhav, Suresh Vishwakarma, Kapil Honrao, Siddharth Shinde, and Mohit Takalkar. Salman Khan has a cameo in the film. The movie released on May 1, 2026, in Hindi, Marathi, and Telugu.