Abhishek Bachchan reveals why he charged nothing for Riteish Deshmukh's 'Raja Shivaji'; says, 'It's an emotional transaction'

Riteish Deshmukh starrer 'Raja Shivaji' is garnering appreciation from the audience, and keeping the cash register ringing at the box office. Amid the overwhelming response, Abhishek Bachchan, who played Sambhaji Maharaj, has addressed reports about the remuneration he and other actors received for their appearances in 'Raja Shivaji'.Recently, Riteish Deshmukh revealed that several stars, including Salman Khan, Vidya Balan, and Abhishek Bachchan, chose not to accept any payment for their roles. According to Riteish, their decision was driven by deep respect for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and by the close personal bond they share with him.Abhishek responded to reports that carried inaccurate claims about the fees charged by the cast. “In today’s day and age, there are all these reels where people talk about facts and figures," he said while speaking to News18.Abhishek explained that actors are willing to reduce or completely waive their fees when they genuinely believe in a film and the vision behind it.“The media loves to talk about an actor or an actress charging so much money and demanding for these many vans but at the end of the day, it’s an art form that starts from the heart. We’ve no problems waiving anything off if we believe in something. It’s not a transaction. It’s an emotional transaction. You’ve to be inspired That’s how art starts," Abhishek said. The actor also praised Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh for approaching the project with sincerity rather than focusing on numbers and box office projections.“At a time where there’s so much mathematics attached to films, they’ve affirmed that not everything is about figures. It was about their belief in wanting to do something larger than all of us. They never approached it as a project. It was very sacred to them," he expressed.Abhishek said their commitment to the subject and their passion for telling this story stood out throughout the production. Abhishek added that the couple’s professionalism and strong work ethic made the demanding shoot feel seamless and comfortable.“It was a very challenging film to be made. The scale is something that Marathi cinema hasn’t seen before and to achieve that seamlessly and make sure that the unit is happy, safe and inspired… kudos to them, really! I don’t know anybody who had any complaints," he said during the interview.He also noted that Raja Shivaji is not his first collaboration with Riteish and Genelia as producers.Meanwhile, according to trade reports from Sacnilk, 'Raja Shivaji' witnessed a healthy jump in collections on its second Sunday.On Day 10, the historical epic earned Rs 6.80 crore net across 4,063 shows nationwide. With this performance, the film’s total India gross has reached Rs 81 crore, while its cumulative India net collection stands at Rs 68.25 crore.