The only memory she recalls is that of her husband and their separation and wanting to meet him.

Who is Raju's grandfather? What is his flashback? Where does the search lead him? The overall story of The Raja Saab is the answer to all these questions and how it all ends.

Performances

Prabhas switches to a non-serious mode in The Raja Saab, but the results are mixed. His effort is visible but from the first scene his facial VFX looks slightly off. His jovial body language and the usual commercial hero elements including fights, songs, and dances are all performed with effort, but none leave a positive impact. Even a deeply emotional hospital scene with his nanamma, where he is supposed to cry and emote, comes across as ordinary. Stylistically, he looks fine and brings some energy, but his performance does little to lift the film.

Among the heroines, Nidhhi Agerwal appears awkward. Her styling looks off and there is little scope to evaluate her performance. Malavika Mohanan and Riddhi Kumar look good on screen, but their roles are underwritten and do not contribute meaningfully to the film. Overall, the film adds virtually no value to the careers of all three heroines given how poorly their characters have been written.

Analysis

Directed by Maruthi, The Raja Saab opens with a brief mystery element featuring comedian Sathya. The first few minutes immediately grab attention and hook the audience. However, what follows is an underwhelming Prabhas introduction, marked by a typical, poorly choreographed intro song. From the start, we are presented with a routine hero introduction that lacks excitement.

Until the interval, the first half struggles to offer even a handful of decent moments. Heroine tracks featuring Nidhhi Agerwal and Malavika Mohanan, the humor attempted through Prabhas's character, and the fights in between all feel outdated. The writing bears the biggest responsibility, as it fails to generate genuine laughs or establish the film's mood. Most scenes feel artificial, and every set looks fake, which is clearly visible on screen. Even the emotional moments remain superficial.

The only positives in the first half are the opening mystic stretch and the interval sequence involving Sanjay Dutt's flashback. These moments grab attention and hint at some potential. Overall, the first half leaves the second half carrying the entire burden of turning things around.

The second half offers a perfect opportunity for Maruthi to revive the film and put it back on track, but he fails to create a believable or engaging fantasy world. Aside from a few brief moments, like Boman Irani's episode, the rest of the second half offers nothing exciting. On top of that, Maruthi's lack of clarity adds more confusion to the plot. Except for the pre-climax, the crocodile episode, and the climax, there is nothing worth praising even in the second half, such is the poor work that went into both the writing and the direction.

The fantasy segments mostly deliver cringe-worthy comedy through heroine tracks. The outdated humor and cringe comedians in exaggerated get-ups fail to provide genuine fun. Confusing and complicated ideas and the director's lack of focus prevent the film from generating the "nanamma" emotion, which is meant to be its heart. By the end, the second half leaves the audience disconnected from both the story and the intended emotions. The VFX ideas in the climax are decent, though the quality is debatable. Still, it feels unfair to expect the audience to appreciate them after enduring so much boredom leading up to that point.

Overall, The Raja Saab is a total misfire. In the name of horror fantasy, we are served boredom with an excessively long runtime and entertainment that feels outdated. The film offers hardly anything that stays with you after leaving the theater.

Performances by Others Actors

The Raja Saab features a handful of familiar artists. Sanjay Dutt is okay, but there is nothing particularly noteworthy about his performance. Zarina Wahab plays a key role, yet she feels underutilized. Boman Irani stands out, adding value to the episode he appears in. His screen presence and performance are exactly as expected, even if his role is conveniently written. Other artists like Saptagiri and Prabhas Sreenu are largely wasted, serving only as sources of cringe comedy. Their exaggerated get-ups come across as unappealing and add more pain than entertainment to the film.

Music and Other Departments?

Thaman scores the music for The Raja Saab but fails to deliver a single exciting song. On screen, the visual presentation also feel outdated, likely due to the placement of the songs and the overall structure of the film. That said, the music itself is not a complete failure and the background score is adequate. While he can be partly blamed for the material he was given, he still does a passable job with the score.

Cinematography by Karthik Palani is decent and the film looks visually fine. Editing by Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao misses the mark. The film drags due to excessive length in both halves, making the runtime painfully noticeable.

Production values from People Media Factory are okay overall and they hardly live up to the promotional claims of the "biggest fantasy horror." The first half feels artificial, with actors awkwardly moving between sets and even a simple street looking like a fake set. The second half, though hampered by imperfect VFX, reflects a noticeable improvement in production effort.

Highlights?

Pre-climax

Climax

A few small but intriguing sequences

Drawbacks?

Direction and writing

Weak story and poor execution

Outdated humor that never lands

Confusing fantasy ideas with little clarity

All three heroine tracks

Excessive runtime, Fake sets

Did I Enjoy It?

Not at all. The film is tiring and fails to engage.

Will You Recommend It?

No, it is not worth your time.

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The Raja Saab Movie Review by M9

Live Updates

U.S. Premiere Report:

After an outright weak first half, the second half barely revives the story, despite its fantasy-horror setup. Maruthi delivers a messy, confusing execution that kills whatever little fun the premise had, turning the film into an utterly chaotic and boring experience.

Prabhas puts in effort and the climax shows a glimpse of the promise the story had. But, it does little to elevate the film. A few moments offer brief intrigue, but nothing leaves a strong impact.

M9 Rating: 2/5

Detailed review soon.

Fist Half Report:

#TheRajaSaab Flat & Long 1st Half!

Not much to highlight in the first half, apart from some intrigue and mystery that hold attention. A couple of songs, heroine tracks, fights also feel dated. There is an attempt at humor through Prabhas, but the writing is a miss. Interval opens the entry into a mystic world, hope it turns out well in the second half.

- The Raja Saab opens with a brief glimpse into a mystical world, followed by Prabhas's entry with a song right away. Stay tuned for the first half report.

- The Raja Saab U.S. premiere begins at 11 AM EST (9.30 PM IST). Stay tuned for the report.

Maruthi got his biggest career opportunity with The Raja Saab, and the production banner People Media Factory under TG Vishwa Prasad is also handling their biggest project. If delivered well, it could mark their greatest achievement and pave the way for more big-event films in the future. Let's see if the movie lives up to the expectations. Stay tuned for The Raja Saab movie review.

Cast: Prabhas, Malavika Mohanan, Nidhhi Agerwal, Riddhi Kumar, Sanjay Dutt Boman irani, Zareena wahab

Written & Directed by: Maruthi
Producer: TG Vishwa Prasad, Krithi Prasad
Banner: People Media Factory
Co-Producer: Ishan Saksena
Music: Thaman S
DOP: Karthik Palani
Editor: Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao
U.S. Distributor: Prathyangira Cinemas

The Raja Saab Movie Review by M9