Filmmaker Sandeep Singh will be directing a biopic on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, titled The Pride of Bharat - Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India, Nitin Gadkari made the announcement and unveiled the film’s poster on Friday.

Sandeep has produced several films in the past, including Mary Kom (2014), Aligarh (2015) and Jhund (2022). He made his directorial debut last year with the OTT film, the trans-rights drama Safed. The Shivaji biopic will be his first theatrical release as director.

The film is written by Siddharth Singh and Garima, who previously collaborated on the Akshay Kumar-starrer Toilet: Ek Prem Katha. The cast has not been revealed yet.

"I started researching on Shivaji Maharaj's life and came across some huge surprises and decided that this was it," Sandeep said. "This subject is what I wanted to make my debut as a director in Bollywood. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's personality was larger than life. His story goes beyond imagination,” he added.