Prabhas' recent film The Raja Saab released on January 9 and received a disastrous response. The film faced heavy backlash from both critics and audiences, and director Maruthi became the main target of online trolling.
Many people also mocked the confident statements Maruthi made before the release.
During a recent media interaction, Maruthi responded emotionally to the trolling. He said The Raja Saab was a three-year effort for him and his team, and that he worked continuously to deliver a three-hour film. He expressed pain over the harsh trolling and said that "nature is watching everything" and that one day people will realize the impact of such behavior. He clarified that his words were not a curse, but an expression of sadness. He also revealed that Prabhas has been in touch with him every day, offering support.
At the same time, discussions around a possible Chiranjeevi-Maruthi collaboration have resurfaced. Maruthi is a known admirer of Chiranjeevi and has repeatedly said that directing him is his life's dream.
After The Raja Saab received poor talk, questions arose about whether this collaboration would be delayed further or dropped entirely. In the latest media interaction, Maruthi claimed that he would soon work with Chiranjeevi. Still, the bigger question remains whether Chiranjeevi would trust Maruthi at this stage.
Chiranjeevi is known to plan his projects carefully. He is currently working with Bobby Kolli and is already committed to a film with Srikanth Odela. These projects will take at least another year to complete. Given this lineup, a Maruthi project does not seem to be happening, at least in the near future.
After what happened with The Raja Saab, it is doubtful whether Chiranjeevi would choose to collaborate with a director like Maruthi at this stage of his career.
Even Mega fans would be scared of such a combination, as it could turn out to be another Bhola Shankar, where Chiranjeevi teamed up with an outdated director like Meher Ramesh. That film, in the name of showing vintage Chiranjeevi, turned into a cringe nightmare for fans, and they have no desire to see history repeat itself. At this point, fans expect top stars to work only with filmmakers who are in sync with current sensibilities and evolving audience tastes.
In such a scenario, the idea of Chiranjeevi agreeing to a film with Maruthi appears more like wishful thinking than realistic