The Raja Saab Review: Prabhas Film Turns Into a Lengthy, Cringe-Filled Misfire
Sarkar Rating : 2 / 5 Release Date: Jan 9, 2026
Cast
Prabhas, Malavika Mohanan, Nidhhi Agerwal, Riddhi Kumar, Sanjay Dutt Boman irani, Zareena wahab
Crew
Written & Directed by: Maruthi Producer: TG Vishwa Prasad, Krithi Prasad Co-Producer: Ishan Saksena Music: Thaman S DOP: Karthik Palani Editor: Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao Production Designer: Rajeevan Costume Designer: Swetha Thanay Creative Producer: SKN VFX Creative Producer: Praveen Kilaru CEP : Sujith Kumar Kolli PMF VFX studio head: Anuraag Rajesh VFX head: Surya Kambhampati VFX Company: Deccan Dreams Stunts: Ram-Laxman, King Solomon Colorist: Yugandhar G DI: Deccan Dreams Post Production : Dattu M Sound Mixing: T. Udaya Kumar Sound Vibe studios Sound Design: sync cinema Marketing: Walls & Trends Production Controller: Kishore Surapaneni
What Is The Raja Saab About?
Raju (Prabhas) lives with his grandmother, who is suffering from early-stage Alzheimer’s. The only memory she clings to is that of her husband—his identity, their separation, and her unfulfilled desire to meet him once again. Who exactly is Raju’s grandfather? What is his past? Where does Raju’s search eventually lead him? The Raja Saab attempts to answer these questions through a horror-fantasy narrative and reveals how it all concludes.
Performances
Prabhas appears in a lighter, non-serious avatar in The Raja Saab, but the outcome is largely underwhelming. While his effort is evident, the execution falls short. From the very first scene, his facial VFX looks noticeably artificial, affecting immersion. His jovial body language, combined with familiar commercial elements like fights, songs, and dance sequences, feels forced and leaves little impact.
Even in an emotionally driven hospital sequence with his “nanamma,” where strong expressions and depth are expected, Prabhas delivers a fairly ordinary performance. Though he looks stylish and brings occasional energy, his portrayal fails to elevate the film meaningfully.
Among the heroines, Nidhhi Agerwal struggles the most. Her styling appears awkward, and her role offers little scope to assess her acting ability. Malavika Mohanan and Riddhi Kumar look pleasant on screen but are saddled with poorly written, inconsequential roles. Overall, The Raja Saab adds virtually no value to the careers of its female leads, largely due to weak characterization.
Analysis
Directed by Maruthi, The Raja Saab opens with a promising mystery element involving comedian Sathya. This initial stretch effectively grabs attention and sets expectations. Unfortunately, what follows is a dull and predictable Prabhas introduction, complete with a poorly choreographed intro song that drains momentum.
The first half struggles significantly, offering very few engaging moments until the interval. The heroine tracks, outdated humor, and action sequences feel repetitive and uninspired. The biggest drawback here is the writing—it neither generates genuine laughs nor establishes a consistent tone. Most scenes feel artificial, and the obvious use of fake sets only worsens the viewing experience. Emotional moments fail to resonate, remaining shallow and unconvincing.
The only saving graces in the first half are the opening mystical segment and the interval block centered around Sanjay Dutt’s flashback, both of which briefly revive interest and hint at untapped potential.
The second half, which should have corrected the film’s course, ends up being equally disappointing. Maruthi fails to build a convincing or engaging fantasy world. Apart from a short episode featuring Boman Irani, the narrative offers little excitement. The director’s lack of clarity further complicates an already confused storyline.
Except for the pre-climax, the crocodile episode, and the climax, there is very little worth appreciating. The fantasy portions largely rely on cringe-inducing comedy through exaggerated heroine tracks and outdated comic tropes. The intended emotional core revolving around the grandmother (“nanamma” sentiment) never fully connects due to weak execution and unfocused storytelling.
The VFX concepts in the climax are interesting on paper, though the quality remains debatable. By that point, however, audience fatigue makes it difficult to appreciate even the better ideas.
Overall, The Raja Saab turns out to be a complete misfire. Marketed as a fantasy horror entertainer, it instead delivers prolonged boredom, outdated humor, and an excessively long runtime with little lasting impact.
Performances by Other Actors
Sanjay Dutt is decent in his role but fails to leave a strong impression. Zarina Wahab plays an important character but is underutilized. Boman Irani stands out, adding weight and value to the episode he appears in, thanks to his commanding screen presence.
Actors like Saptagiri and Prabhas Sreenu are largely wasted, reduced to delivering cringe comedy in exaggerated get-ups that only add to the film’s problems rather than providing relief.
Music and Other Technical Departments
Thaman’s music fails to produce a single memorable song. While the background score is serviceable, the overall musical presentation feels outdated due to poor song placement and weak narrative integration. Still, given the material, Thaman manages a passable effort.
Karthik Palani’s cinematography is decent, and the film looks visually acceptable. However, editor Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao falters badly—the excessive runtime in both halves makes the film drag painfully.
Production values from People Media Factory are average at best and do not justify the tall claims of delivering a “biggest-ever fantasy horror.” The first half looks particularly artificial, with even simple street scenes resembling studio sets. The second half shows some improvement, though imperfect VFX continues to be a concern.
Highlights
Pre-climax
Climax
A few intriguing mystery-driven sequences
Drawbacks
Weak direction and writing
Poorly executed story
Outdated and cringe-worthy humor
Confusing fantasy elements with no clarity
All three heroine tracks
Excessive runtime
Verdict
The Raja Saab is a partly engaging horror-fantasy entertainer that works in moments but struggles with uneven narration. Prabhas’ screen presence and a few fun sequences keep the film afloat, but weak writing, inconsistent tone, and underwhelming horror elements dilute the overall impact.
Read Also: Eesha Review: Slow-Burn Horror with a Meaningful Twist