Veteran actor-filmmaker Amoli Gupte, known as the creative force behind ‘Taare Zameen Par’ and loved by children across India as ‘Froggie Uncle’, has added a new and personal chapter to his long journey with young talent, coaching sons Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh for their screen debut in the Hindi Marathi epic ‘Raja Shivaji’.
Riteish Deshmukh The children of the picture enter the frame with Raja Shivaji.
Rayyan Deshmukh, 11, and Rahil Deshmukh, 9, will play Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at different stages of his childhood in “Raja Shivaji,” the ambitious historical drama directed by and starring Riteish Deshmukh in the title role. It was Amoli Gupte who worked with the boys to prepare them for their first experience in front of the camera.Speaking to Variety India, the veteran director and actor said, “Ritesh and Genelia are family friends and were also at the forefront to promote my film, ‘Stanley Ka Dhaba’. It was a pleasure to spend time with their two (amazing) Kamalichi sons. At their age, can you imagine, they can recite the ‘Ganpati Stotra’ and many other artistes by heart! In ‘Raja Shivaji’, they play the role of Shivaji.” Maharaj is at different ages, Rahil is the youngest seen in the trailer, while Rayyan plays a slightly older Shiva!
Amoli Gupte shares how he groomed Deshmukh’s boys
In keeping with his philosophy, Gupte refused to call what he did with the boys “coaching.”
“Those are the wrong words!” He laughed. “I enjoyed interacting with both of them, and now they have become fast friends! We would play around with their Marathi lines, I was given a portion of their script, and I gave them tips on how to speak them! They were quick to understand, and I started looking forward to meeting them every Saturday.
It wasn’t like a teacher-student equation at all, but more of a bonding with my frog uncle over samosas and jalebi, which is what they always wanted from me!Gupte described the boys’ natural instincts as something that emerged on their own during relaxed Saturday sessions, describing them as “heri” (diamonds).
He added that the technical aspects of filmmaking, like camera angles and marks, were later handled by Ritesh himself.
Amoli Gupte talks about his role in Raja Shivaji
One such Saturday, Riteish asked Deshmukh Gupte if he would be willing to play the role of Adil Shah, the seventh Sultan of Bijapur, in the film. Gupte did not hesitate. He shared, “I accepted this as I can’t say no to Ritesh and Genelia, plus it was a great role. But my friendship with these two miracles, their two sons, will last as long as I live!”
More about Raja Shivaji
Directed by Riteish Deshmukh, the film features him in the titular role of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the Maratha ruler. It also stars Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sachin Khedekar, Bhagyashree, Fardeen Khan, Jitendra Joshi, Amoli Gupte, and Genelia Deshmukh.The film is scheduled to be released in theaters on May 1, 2026.