Riteish Deshmukh's historical drama 'Raja Shivaji' has been receiving a warm response from audiences in theaters. The film boasts an ensemble cast that includes Vidya Balan, who portrays Badi Begum, the wife of Mohammed Adil Shah, the Sultan of Bijapur. However, it has now come to light that Vidya Balan was not the first choice for the role.
Tabu Was the First Choice; Vidya Balan Got the Call
Riteish Deshmukh's ambitious bilingual film 'Raja Shivaji' marks the latest chapter in this saga. According to a report by the Free Press Journal, Tabu was initially approached to play Badi Begum, also known as Tajul Mukkhidarat Badi Sahiba. However, due to scheduling conflicts, Tabu had to decline the offer. Subsequently, Riteish turned to Vidya Balan, who immediately accepted the role. At the trailer launch, Vidya expressed her excitement, stating that she was not going to miss the opportunity to take on such a challenging role, especially in a bilingual production spanning Marathi and Hindi.
This is not the first time such a casting change has occurred. During the casting of 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3', Tabu once again turned down a role, but this time by choice. Having delivered a celebrated dual performance as Anjulika and Manjulika in 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2', she felt there was no challenge in repeating the same performance and gracefully stepped away. The makers then brought in both Vidya Balan and Madhuri Dixit to fill the gap.
More About 'Raja Shivaji'
Directed by Riteish Deshmukh, the film features the actor as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha Empire and Swarajya. The star-studded cast includes Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Sachin Khedekar, Vidya Balan, Amole Gupte, Bhagyashree, Genelia Deshmukh, Fardeen Khan, and many others. Additionally, the cast features Jitendra Joshi, Boman Irani, Mahesh Manjrekar, Ashok Samarth, Suresh Vishwakarma, and more. Salman Khan makes a cameo appearance as Jiva Mahala. The movie was released in cinemas on May 1, 2026.
