The Raja Saab Movie Review
The Raja Saab Movie Review
Telugu360 Rating: 2.25/5
Story:
Raja Saab revolves around Raju (Prabhas), who lives with and cares for his grandmother, Gangadevi (Zarina Wahab).Afflicted with Alzheimer’s, she holds on to the hope that her lost husband, Kanaka Raju (Sanjay Dutt), who walked away from the family years ago, will one day return. Moved by her condition, Raju sets out on a mission to find his grandfather and bring him back.
His search leads him to Hyderabad, where he crosses paths with Blessy (Nidhhi Agerwal) and Bhairavi (Malavika). What begins as a personal quest soon takes an unexpected turn when Raju uncovers information about Kanaka Raju. He learns that his grandfather is living in a house hidden deep within the Narasapur forest- an eerie place surrounded by rumors of disturbing experiences faced by those who enter it.
The narrative then shifts focus to the mystery surrounding Kanaka Raju’s identity, the reasons behind his sudden disappearance, and the strange, possibly supernatural events linked to the forest house. These elements form the core of the film’s plot and set the stage for its horror -mystery arc.
Analysis:
Raja Saab follows the most familiar horror template – a haunted house, a supernatural presence, and fear-driven encounters. This is a space Maruthi has explored earlier with ‘Prema Katha Chitram’. Attempting to scale this concept up for a star like Prabhas, the director retains the core idea while layering it with a range of elements.
The film tries to blend hypnotism, fantasy, and horror, resulting in a narrative that resembles a Chandamama style folklore. At its core is a decent tale involving greed, deception, and generational revenge forming the emotional backbone. On paper, this structure suits a larger-than-life hero and offers scope for spectacle and intrigue.
However, the shortcomings lie in execution rather than intent. The screenplay struggles to maintain narrative flow, frequently pausing for songs and mass-oriented moments. These interruptions dilute the tension and weaken the storytelling. As a result, what could have been an engaging fantasy-horror hybrid often loses momentum, reducing the overall impact despite an interesting conceptual foundation. The first one hour suffers badly.
Maruthi starts the film well with the Satya episode, which creates curiosity that something strange is present in the house. If the movie had continued with the same tone, it would have worked much better. Unfortunately, that impact lasts only for the first scene. After that, Raja Saab’s entry, songs, and romance follow a very predictable pattern, making the screenplay feel like it is just filling time rather than engaging the audience.
It is hard to understand why Maruthi felt the need to include three heroines in this story. If the idea was to bring back a vintage Prabhas feel, three female leads were not really required. Instead of helping the story, they only slow it down, and none of the characters are properly developed. Even the romantic scenes fail to entertain. Some of Prabhas’s dialogues are also not very clear and feel slightly muffled.
Before the interval, the story picks up a little. The interval block is designed well, though it could have been stronger. However, the first half hour after the interval again becomes dull. Maruthi is usually known for good comedy, and Prabhas doing comedy after a long time raised expectations. Sadly, the comedy does not work in this film.
If not comedy, at least the horror should have worked- but it doesn’t. People go to a horror film expecting fear, but the movie fails to create that feeling. The danger posed by Sanjay Dutt’s character is never clearly established. The characters inside the mansion behave as if they are in a safe place, relaxing and even romancing. When the characters themselves show no fear, it is difficult for the audience to feel any tension or suspense.
In this film, the one area where the director does a better job is the climax. From the hospital scene onwards, the film gains some energy. The mind-game element is used reasonably well, and the movie moves into the climax on that momentum. The last 20 minutes feel worth watching, but by then, the delay has already affected the overall impact.
The biggest issue is the way the Kanaka Raju character is designed. He is built up as a highly intelligent man and even projected as a psychological expert. But in the end, he turns out to be someone who depends on dark rituals for wealth. This makes the earlier buildup feel unnecessary and confusing.
Prabhas looks very stylish and colorful throughout the film, which his fans will like. However, his look is not consistent in all scenes, and in a few places, the use of a body double is clearly noticeable. His dubbing also needed more care. That said, Prabhas performs well in the hospital scene. Among the three heroines, Malavika gets comparatively more screen time and even an action scene. Sanjay Dutt feels underused overall. Zarina Wahab’s performance and the importance given to her character are handled well. Even with actors like Saptagiri, Prabhas Sreenu, and Satya, the comedy fails to click.
The makers have spent a good amount of money on the film. The palace set looks impressive. The VFX works well in some scenes but falls flat in others. Thaman’s songs are quite weak, and even “Nache Nache” does not make much impact in theatres. The background score feels loud at times. Maruthi’s core idea is interesting- mixing fantasy with horror- but the execution does not match the ambition. The lack of strong horror elements is disappointing, and the usual comic timing seen in Maruthi’s films is missing. This is a pan-India film made with Prabhas, and the team has claimed a massive budget and a global-scale horror fantasy. However, the final output does not reflect that scale or substance.
Overall, Raja Saab is a below-average film.
Telugu360 Rating: 2.25/5
