Nagraj Manjule says the pandemic has delayed his multilingual trilogy on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

Nagraj Manjule, who is basking in the success of his Amitabh Bachchan-led sports drama Jhund, recently shared an update on his multilingual trilogy on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

The National Award-winning filmmaker and Ritesh Deshmukh had announced the venture back in 2019, according to PTI. Deshmukh was producing via his banner Mumbai Film Company and the film was set to hit the screens in 2021.

Manjule explained that all progress on the project was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Our schedule got haywire because of the pandemic. We lost two years because of that so naturally, we could not take it on floors. But it isn’t that the movie is shelved. It is a project I am extremely passionate about and once everything falls into place, you will know," he said.

PTI notes that this project is his biggest after Marathi films like Fandry, Sairat and his Hindi debut Jhund.

Manjule said that the film, his "dream project," will bring its own set of challenges to the table because it's a historical drama. Naturally, the scale of the project will be immense.  

Meanwhile, Jhund, which is competing with films like Gangubai Kathiawadi and The Batman, earned Rs 3.50 crore in the first two days of release. However, due to strong word of mouth and good reviews, the footfall for the film seems to be picking up pace.

The film is based on the life and work of Nagpur-based social activist Vijay Barse, who founded the Slum Soccer NGO.