Raja Saab Review: Spineless, Stale Horror Humdrum

Cast: Prabhas, Sanjay Dutt, Zarina Wahab, Nidhhi Agerwal, Malavika Mohanan, Riddhi Kumar, Samuthirakani, Boman Irani, and others

Director: Maruthi

Rating: 2/5

After headlining heavy-duty action spectacles like Salaar and Kalki 2898 AD, Prabhas attempts a light-hearted, romantic-horror outing with The Raja Saab. While the intent is refreshing, the execution sadly remains colourless and uninspiring.

Prabhas woos pretty girls, dances with damsels, and even falls in love with a nun to showcase his romantic and comic side. His task in this fictional thriller is unique—he battles evil ghosts—but a dreary screenplay and deadpan humour dilute his efforts. The suspension-of-disbelief narrative offers little excitement, despite a few novel ideas.

Casting three heroines opposite Prabhas turns out to be an overdose. Nidhhi Agerwal, Malavika Mohanan, and Riddhi Kumar are reduced to glamour props, with poorly etched roles that add nothing beyond visual appeal. Their presence, instead of enhancing the horror-comedy quotient, takes the sting out of it.

Prabhas appearing fearful and nervous while facing ghosts is new even for die-hard fans and evokes a few laughs. However, it also dilutes his carefully built invincible big-screen image, making this a risky gamble by the makers.

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt plays the evil ghost with hypnotising powers. While his presence adds curiosity, the character goes over the top. Director Maruthi, known for successful horror comedies like Prema Katha Chitram, struggles to fit Prabhas into his ghostly universe. The psychological angle—where a hypnotised person escapes by distinguishing hallucination from reality—sounds intriguing on paper but gets lost in the cacophony of forced scares and an over-the-top climax.

Blending comedy with horror has always been a tricky Telugu cinema template, and stretching it to cater to both North and South Indian audiences only amplifies the risk. The songs are passable but forgettable, and the VFX work appears subpar in several portions.

A film that has been in the making for four to five years inevitably changes due to time constraints and friendly advice, and The Raja Saab clearly suffers because of it. The core story—of a grandson trying to protect his grandmother and restore her pride—is wafer-thin. Excessive glamour further weakens the proceedings.

Prabhas lives with his grandmother (Zarina Wahab), who suffers from Alzheimer’s and yearns for her missing husband. When Prabhas learns that his grandfather (Sanjay Dutt) might still be alive, he travels to Hyderabad, only to find himself trapped in a haunted house. Will he escape?

Zarina Wahab impresses in her role, while Samuthirakani and Boman Irani fit the bill. The heroines look gorgeous and enliven the songs, but have little to do otherwise.

Director Maruthi, who earlier worked with young actors like Nani and Sharwanand, gets an opportunity to helm a Prabhas film. In an attempt to make a “wholesome entertainer,” he loads the film with fights, songs, and a multi-skilled ghost. The result is a hotchpotch entertainer that is neither scary nor funny enough.

The Raja Saab ends up as a missed opportunity weighed down by a thin plot, stale humour, and uneven execution.