Until around two-and-a-half years ago, making a film with a runtime of over three hours was largely frowned upon. But that perception changed with Animal (2023). The Ranbir Kapoor-starrer was 203 minutes long and yet was accepted with open arms by the audience. Then came Pushpa 2 – The Rule (2024), which had a runtime of 200 minutes. Dhurandhar (2025) went one step ahead at 214 minutes, while Dhurandhar The Revenge (2026) clocked an even longer runtime of 229 minutes. In between, Border 2 (2026) also joined the league with a runtime of 199 minutes. Interestingly, all these films emerged as huge grossers. And now, Raja Shivaji is all set to join this coveted club.

Bollywood Hungama has exclusively learned that the historical drama completed its censor process yesterday, on April 24. As per the censor certificate, Raja Shivaji’s Marathi version is 195.05 minutes long. In other words, it has a duration of 3 hours, 15 minutes and 5 seconds. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) passed the film with a U/A 16+ certificate.

However, the film had to undergo a few modifications as per the advice of the Examining Committee (EC) of the CBFC. The makers had to modify the disclaimer with more clarity and stronger words along with a voiceover. They also had to add a clarification for selecting the title ‘Raja Shivaji’ for the film. The makers were also asked to submit proper documents for all the historical references used in the film and also submit a proper script as per the film’s dialogues and songs.

Moreover, the CBFC instructed the producers to add specific dates for all key events in the film and also insert text slates for historical events.

Thankfully, there are just two minor cuts in Raja Shivaji. The visuals of a small boy’s throat being slit were asked to be replaced with an appropriate shot. Secondly, the makers were asked to add audio for muted visuals.

Raja Shivaji stars Riteish Deshmukh in the role of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and he’s joined by Genelia Deshmukh, Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Fardeen Khan, Bhagyashree, Sachin Khedekar, Amole Gupte, Jitendra Joshi and others. It is produced by Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia Deshmukh’s Mumbai Film Company and Jyoti Deshpande’s Jio Studios. It is all set to release in cinemas on May 1.

Also Read: Riteish Deshmukh starrer Raja Shivaji trailer gets shoutout from Akshay Kumar, Karan Johar, Nagraj Manjule and others