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- By Swati Singh
- Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:02 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Actor-director Riteish Deshmukh has responded to social media criticism surrounding a celebration for his Marathi film Raja Shivaji, issuing a clarification and dismissing speculation about his attire and personal conduct. Riteish said the private event was held to thank the cast and crew for their dedication over the years and to celebrate the film’s strong audience response.
Riteish noted, "Hello. To celebrate the unprecedented response given by the audience to the recently released movie Raja Shivaji, our entire team had organised a small celebration. A video of mine related to that has currently been circulating on social media. As a follower of Shivaji Maharaj (Shivpremi) and a family member to the audience, I consider it my duty to offer a clarification regarding this."
He further added, "I wish to clarify humbly that behind celebrating while wearing a t-shirt featuring the image of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, I did not have even the slightest intention of disrespecting him. I was using that t-shirt during the promotional campaign of the movie. On that day as well, since I directly joined the event after finishing the promotional work, I missed changing the t-shirt."
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(Image: Instagram/@riteishd)
Riteish Deshmukh also dismissed allegations that he consumed alcohol at the event, calling the claims baseless and reiterating his long-standing stance, while noting that the viral footage was recorded by an uninvited person.
He noted, "I also want to clarify regarding some claims being made about me on social media: I have never consumed alcohol to date, nor will I ever do so in the future. Therefore, any allegations in this context are far from the facts. Notably, the person who filmed this video was not even given an invitation to the respective event."