In 2024, director Amit Rai came close to realising his wish of helming a historical drama on the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Shahid Kapoor was attached to play the Maratha warrior. But a year on, things have changed. Rai, who last helmed OMG 2 (2023), reveals that the biopic is off the table. Reason? He pegs it down evasively to the “cruel system”.  

“The system is so cruel. Even if you have proved your mettle with a R180 crore film [OMG 2], it’s not enough,” he says exasperatedly. While the director doesn’t specify why it fell through, he admits he felt helpless as the biopic — written by him — went from being one of the most ambitious projects to the shredder. “How is a director supposed to work here, under these systems of casting, production, star, and management? You live with a story for five years, and within minutes, somebody writes a five-pager, pointing out what is wrong and what is right in the film.” 

Amit Rai