T-Series Boards Rishab Shetty’s ‘The Pride of Bharat’ as Two-Part Epic
- The Scoop: T-Series has officially boarded Rishab Shetty’s historical epic The Pride of Bharat: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, expanding the project into a two-part theatrical saga.
- Production Scale: Directed by Sandeep Singh, the massive undertaking is currently in pre-production with principal photography locked to begin in early 2027.
- Studio Strategy: Produced by Bhushan and Krishan Kumar, the film leverages Shetty’s post-Kantara box-office heat to mount a large-scale, two-film retelling of the Maratha empire’s founding.
T-Series has officially boarded The Pride of Bharat: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, expanding the Rishab Shetty-led historical drama into a two-part theatrical saga. The studio is mobilizing the project for an early 2027 principal photography start.
Studio Muscle and the Two-Part Theatrical Gamble
The decision to split the narrative into two distinct features signals a massive escalation in scale for the project, which was originally announced as a single film in December 2024. T-Series chairman Bhushan Kumar is backing the production alongside Krishan Kumar, with Shetty also attached as a co-producer.
This structural shift allows director Sandeep Singh to devote substantial screen time to the defining battles and lesser-known episodes of the Maratha ruler’s life. It is a heavy financial bet designed to maximize theatrical real estate across consecutive release windows.
Kumar framed the studio’s commitment as a massive historical responsibility, stating, “When Sandeep first narrated the film to me, I felt a deep sense of responsibility to bring this extraordinary story to the big screen.”
Rishab Shetty’s Box-Office Leverage Fuels the Epic
Anchoring this sprawling historical production on Shetty is a calculated play to convert his current commercial momentum into massive opening weekend footfalls. Following recent high-profile genre swings across the industry, the actor’s stock has never been higher.
His previous directorial and starring outing, Kantara: A Legend, Chapter 1, reportedly stormed to a worldwide gross of approximately ₹850 crore. That staggering balance-sheet performance gives T-Series immense confidence in his ability to carry a tentpole of this magnitude.
Kumar explicitly cited this star power as the deciding factor, noting, “With Rishab Shetty’s powerful screen presence and his ability to bring legendary figures to life, I believe we have the right combination to bring the courage, vision and spirit of Swarajya to audiences across generations.”
Practical Combat and International Action Rigging
To execute the brutal physical realities of 17th-century warfare, the production is assembling a top-tier international stunt team. Mark Henson, whose credits include Game of Thrones, Vikings, and Gravity, is reportedly attached to choreograph the action.
This influx of global expertise points directly to a preference for grounded, practical combat sequences over sterile green-screen environments. The grueling shoot will demand intense physical conditioning from the ensemble, which reportedly includes Arjun Rampal and Vivek Oberoi in pivotal roles.
While exact release dates remain closely guarded by the studio, a two-part rollout in 2028 and 2029 is the expected corridor. Monitored across our theatrical release tracking, the film’s extended production calendar will require T-Series to sustain a multi-year marketing burn rate.
Ultimately, the studio is betting that the sheer scale of this two-part epic will justify the astronomical production costs and deliver a dominant, repeat-viewing franchise.