Dancer from 'Raja Shivaji' team dies; netizens react

A tragic incident occurred during the shoot of Riteish Deshmukh's film

Raja Shivaji

. A 26-year-old dancer from the choreography team was found dead on April 25, 2025, two days after going missing in Satara. Following the incident, the film's shooting has been put on hold.
According to a PTI report, the dancer who was found dead has been identified as Saurabh Sharma. His body was discovered on the morning of April 24. The incident happened two days earlier at Sangam Mahuli, a village in Satara district, where Riteish Deshmukh’s film Raja Shivaji was being shot.

Dancer swept away in Krishna river
During the shoot, colored powders were thrown, and Saurabh, along with some team members, went to the Krishna River to wash their hands. While swimming, Saurabh was tragically swept away by the strong currents. Rescue teams were immediately alerted and launched an extensive search operation.
Search efforts end in tragedy
The search operation was paused due to darkness but resumed the following morning. Despite extensive efforts, Saurabh Sharma couldn’t be located until his body was discovered around 7:30 am on Thursday. An accidental death case has been filed by the Satara police, and investigations are underway.
Filming of Raja Shivaji halted after a tragic incident
Following the tragic drowning of Saurabh Sharma, the filming of Raja Shivaji has been paused. Riteish Deshmukh's production company, Mumbai Film Company, issued a statement mentioning that Riteish, Genelia Deshmukh, Remo D'Souza, and other team members rushed to the riverbank upon hearing the news, although they have not yet commented on his death. Local swimmers and drones were used in the search, with the Satara District Collector contacted to speed up the operation.
Raja Shivaji: A film on Maratha warrior
'Raja Shivaji' is a bilingual Marathi and Hindi film based on the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Directed by Riteish Deshmukh, who also plays the lead role, the film stars Bhagyashree in an important role. Apart from Bhagyashree, ETimes exclusively reported that Sanjay Dutt and Fardeen Khan also star in the film.