25 April,2025 11:34 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Riteish Deshmukh
In an unfortunate incident, a young dancer drowned in a river during the shoot of actor and filmmaker Riteish Deshmukh's upcoming Marathi film Raja Shivaji. The shoot was underway in Maharashtra's Satara district when the tragic event occurred. Reportedly, the incident took place on Tuesday, and the body of the 26-year-old man was found two days later, on Thursday.
According to reports, the deceased has been identified as Saurabh Sharma. The team of Raja Shivaji was shooting in a village called Sanga Mahuli, located at the confluence of the Krishna and Venna rivers in Satara district. The team was filming a song sequence where colored powder was thrown around. Reportedly, Sharma went near the river to wash his hands and remove the color after the shoot. He is believed to have entered the water for a quick swim, but accidentally stepped into a deep section of the river and was swept away by a strong current.
Search operations began after the film's team noticed he was missing. Locals and authorities immediately joined the search effort. His body was found by the rescue team on Thursday morning.
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Meanwhile, the shoot of Raja Shivaji has been halted following the tragic incident.
Riteish Deshmukh, who plays the titular role of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, is also directing the film. He announced the project last year, and it went on floors in February this year. Raja Shivaji, which will be released in both Marathi and Hindi, and marks his second directorial venture after Ved (2022). Reportedly, Deshmukh has been working on the film for over five years but could not begin shoot due to pandemic. Therefore, he put the film on hold and directed Ved instead, which also marked the comeback of Genelia Deshmukh.
While Mahesh Manjrekar plays a key role in the period drama, Bhagyashree steps into the role of Shivaji's mother, Rajmata Jijabai. National Award-winning cinematographer Santosh Sivan is serving as the film's DOP. Deshmukh is also said to have approached his actor friends - Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, and Fardeen Khan - for key roles.