''Rajmata Jijau'' () is a 2011

Marathi language Marathi (; , 𑘦𑘨𑘰𑘙𑘲, , ) is a Classical languages of India, classical Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by Marathi people in the Indian state of Maharashtra and is also spoken in Goa, and parts of Guj ...

film based upon the life of

Jijabai Jijabai Shahaji Bhonsale (; 12 January 1598 – 17 June 1674), referred to as Rajmata Jijabai, was the mother of Shivaji, founder of the Maratha Kingdom. She was a daughter of Lakhujirao Jadhav of Sindkhed Raja. Early life Jijabai was born ...

, mother of the 17th century Maratha king

Shivaji Shivaji I (Shivaji Shahaji Bhonsale, ; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680) was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle dynasty. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the Sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the ...

, as told in Madan Patil's historical novel ''Jijausaheb''. The film was directed by Yashwant Bhalkar and produced by Mandatai and Sharadrao Nimse from the studio Jijai Chitra in

Shirdi Shirdi (; also known as Sainagar) is a town and pilgrimage site in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Shirdi is located in the Rahata taluka of Ahmednagar District. It is most well known for being the home of the 19th-century Indian saint Sai B ...

Plot

''Rajmata Jijau'' tells the story of Jijabai's life, beginning with the return of the child Shivaji to Pune, and in the process depicts Jijabai as a heroine in her own right, largely responsible for the formation of

, and therefore, for his accomplishments as founder of the Maratha empire.

Cast

* Smita Deshmukh as

Milind Gunaji Milind Gunaji (born 23 July 1961) is an Indian actor, model, television presenter, writer and author, most known for his roles in Marathi and Hindi cinema. He made his first film appearance in 1993's ''Papeeha'' and has since performed in over ...

Shahaji Shahaji Bhonsale (; 18 March 1594 – 23 January 1664) was a 17th century Indian military leader who served the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, the Bijapur Sultanate, and the Mughal Empire at various points in his career. As a member of the Bhonsle dynas ...

Amol Kolhe Amol Ramsing Kolhe is an Indian actor turned politician who is the current Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha from Shirur and member of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar). Early life Kolhe was born in the town of Nara ...

as Shivaji * Monika Dabade as

Soyarabai Soyarabai Bhosale (née ''Mohite'') was the second wife of Chatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha Kingdom in western India. She was the mother of Shivaji Maharaj's second son, Rajaram. She was the younger sister of the Marath ...

* Rahul Solapurkar as Afzal Khan * Rohit kadekar as Sevak * Deepak Karpe as

Netaji Palkar Netoji Palkar (also ''Netaji Palkar'', , 1620–1681) was the 2nd Senapati of the Maratha Army under the leadership of Chhatrapati Shivaji, the visionary founder of the Maratha empire. He was also known as ''Prati-Shivaji'' for embodying the ...

Production

''Rajmata Jijau'' was produced by the production company Jijai Chitra. Production began on 6 June 2008 at Raigad with research and pre-production. Filming began in 2009, and the film was released on 20 May 2011.

Promotion and release

* ''Rajmata Jijau'' premiered on 20 May 2011 at Mangala Theatre,

Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

, with the entire cast and crew, along with local dignitaries, in attendance. * Prior to release, the film had been reviewed and promoted in electronic and print media. * Released at Belgaum and Vijapur (Karnataka state)

Reception

Loksatta ''Loksatta'' is an Indian newspaper. It was established on 14 January 1948. ''Loksatta'' gained notability through its coverage of Mahatma Gandhi's assassination and subsequent developments; the founder of the Indian Express Group, Ramnath Goen ...

'' published separated reviews of the film and its soundtrack, giving favorable notice to the Powar's score. The film was also reviewed by the IBN Lokmat and Star Majha news channels and ''

Lokmat ''Lokmat'' ( ) is a Marathi-language newspaper published in Maharashtra, India. Founded in 1971 by Jawaharlal Darda, it is the largest read Marathi-language newspaper in India. and has presence in print, digital, TV and events.Sakal ''Sakal'' ("Morning") is a Marathi daily newspaper published by Sakal Media Group, headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra, India. It is among the most widely circulated Marathi newspapers. Pratap Pawar joined the board of Sakal in 1985 and is ...

'', and '' Pudhari'' newspapers.

International appearances

''Rajmata Jijau'' was released in United Kingdom at the Paul Robeson Theater in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

on 20 August 2011, making it the first-ever Marathi language film released in the UK. The film screened at

Pune International Film Festival The Pune International Film Festival (also known as PIFF) is an annual film festival held in Pune, a city in Maharashtra, India. Open to general public, the films are screened at National Film Archive of India, NFAI, INOX Leisure Limited, Inox ...

on 16 January 2012.

Awards

* Marathi VishwaRatna (November 2011) to producers Mandatai and Sharadrao Nimse * Jijau KalaRatna (January 2012) to Smita Deshmukh * Best Costume

Maharashtra State Film Awards Maharashtra State Film Awards, one of the prestigious awards of Marathi cinema, are awarded by the Government of Maharashtra to Marathi language films and artists. They were first awarded in 1963. The Maharashtra State Film Awards are adjudicat ...

(April 2012) to Purnima Oak. * Nominated for Best Actress

(April 2012) to Dr.Smita Deshmukh

Soundtrack

Lyricist Babasaheb Saudagar and music director Shashank Powar created the soundtrack for ''Rajmata Jijau''. Since this is a period film, Powar researched 16th and 17th century Marathi music to create the score. The soundtrack was released as an album (''Rajmata Jijau Shourya Geete'') in April 2011.

Tracks

* "Bhagvya Zendyachya Sansarala" (Gondhal)- (

Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan (born 3 March 1967) is an Indian singer and composer who is part of the Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy trio that writes music for Indian films. In 2023, he was awarded an honorary doctorate (''honoris causa'' degree) by Birmingham Ci ...

and chorus) * "Dhar Sonyacha Nangar Haati"- (

Suresh Wadkar Suresh Ishwar Wadkar (born 7 August 1955) is an Indian playback singer. He performs in both Hindi and Marathi films. He has sung songs in some Bhojpuri films, Odia albums and bhajans and in Konkani films. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Ak ...

and chorus) * "Jay Jay Jijau" (Title Track)- (

Kailash Kher Kailash Kher (born 7 July 1973) is an Indian playback singer, live performer, and composer. He sings songs with a music style influenced by Indian folk music and Sufi music. He was inspired by the classical musicians Kumar Gandharva, Hrida ...

and chorus) * "Ala Ala Shivaji" (Powada)- ( Nandesh Umap and chorus)

References

External links

* {{URL, http://www.rajmatajijau.com Indian biographical films History of India on film Marathi-language historical films Cultural depictions of Shivaji Films set in Maharashtra Films set in the Maratha Empire 2010s biographical films 2010s Marathi-language films Films based on Marathi novels