Overview
- Riteish made the remarks on Lock Upp on Monday while responding to contestant Yogesh Rawat, who spoke about the damage of being publicly labelled a "cheater".
- He recalled that when he debuted in 2003 his father Vilasrao Deshmukh was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and people said his films worked only because of that connection.
- Riteish said those perceptions stuck for years but that persistent work changed them, noting his 23-year career and roughly 60 films as evidence.
- He produced and directed Raja Shivaji, which outlets report has collected more than ₹100 crore worldwide and is the highest-grossing Marathi film to date.
- The exchange highlights how a reality show can surface wider industry labels and the personal toll such tags take on performers and their families.