After a long wait marked by delays, controversies and massive expectations, The Raja Saab has finally reached theatres. Starring Prabhas in the lead, the film is promoted as a horror-comedy with fantasy elements. Sadly, it turns out to be a slow and exhausting watch that delivers neither horror nor comedy, and struggles to hold the audience’s attention.
The story follows Raja (Prabhas), who lives with his grandmother Gangamma (Zareena Wahab) and his uncle’s daughter Anitha (Riddhi Kumar). Anitha is in love with Raja. Gangamma, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, believes her husband Kanakaraju (Sanjay Dutt) is still alive and often speaks about him.
Raja learns that his grandfather might be in Hyderabad, near Charminar, and travels there to find him. During this journey, he meets a nun, Satya (Niddhi Agerwal), and falls for her almost instantly. Soon after, Bhairavi (Malavika Mohanan) enters the story, handing Raja a large sum of money on her grandfather’s (Samuthirakani) instructions. Raja then discovers that his grandfather is hiding in the Narsapur forest.
The narrative shifts to a haunted house deep inside the forest. Raja, Bhairavi, his friend and his uncle reach the house, only to realise that Satya is already trapped there. What really happened to Kanakaraju? Why did he abandon Gangamma? These questions form the backbone of the plot.
Director Maruthi, who earlier found success with small and mid-budget films like Prema Katha Chitram, Bhale Bhale Magadivoy and Mahanubhavudu, misses a big opportunity here. The central idea involving royal betrayal, hypnotism, revenge and generational trauma is interesting on paper. It feels like a dark folk tale with emotional depth. However, the execution is weak and inconsistent.
The interval point offers a mildly engaging twist, but by then, the film has already tested the audience’s patience. The horror never scares, the comedy rarely works, and the emotional moments fail to connect. Songs appear forced and interrupt the flow, clearly added for commercial reasons rather than storytelling.
Performances also disappoint. Sanjay Dutt looks uninterested for most of the film. Boman Irani appears disengaged. Zarina Wahab overacts, while the female leads seem underutilised and detached from the drama. Prabhas, despite his star power, is let down by a poorly written role.
In the end, The Raja Saab becomes another film with big expectations and weak execution. Instead of entertaining, it feels long and tiring. For Prabhas fans especially, this film is a major letdown and adds to the growing list of disappointing outings in his recent career.
Film Details:
Producer: T.G. Vishwaprasad
Director: Maruthi
Cast: Prabhas, Niddhi Agerwal, Malavika Mohanan, Riddhi Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Boman Irani, Zarina Wahab
Genre: Horror, Fantasy
Release Platform: Theatres
Rating: ★½ (1.5/5)
Verdict: One more nail in the coffin for Prabhas’s struggling filmography.
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