Title: The Raja Saab
Director: Maruthi
Cast: Prabhas, Sanjay Dutt, Zarina Wahab, Malavika Mohanan, Nidhhi Agerwal, Riddhi Kumar
Where to watch: Theatre
Ratings: 2
The Raja Saab Review: After around 2 years, Prabhas is back on the big screens with Maruthi's directorial, The Raja Saab. It is a Telugu film dubbed and released in various languages, including Hindi. We watched the movie in Hindi. So, is it worth your time and money? Read on to know that...
The Raja Saab revolves around Raju (Prabhas), who is staying in a village with his grandmother Ganga Devi (Zariha Wahab). Ganga is suffering from Alzhimer and she only remembers her husband, who left her many years ago. For the sake of his grandmother, Raju decides to find his grandfather, Kanak Raju (Sanjay Dutt), and he comes to know that he is in Hyderabad. The movie shifts to Hyderabad, and a lot of secrets are unveiled.
The film is written and directed by Maruthi, and the basic storyline of the film is fantastic. On paper, The Raja Saab would be an amazing movie, but Maruthi fails to convert it into a good film.
The Raja Saab is set against the backdrop of topics like black magic and hypnotism, which are very interesting. But the weak screenplay and narration are the villains here.
The first half of the movie is strictly average. It drags because of unnecessary action sequences. There's one action sequence featuring Malavika Mohanan, but when goons catch her, Prabhas tells her, 'Mere aate hie tujhe side ho lena tha'. Like really!!! Also, an important movement like MeToo has been used as a joke in the film. Before the interval, the movie picks up, and even the interval point is very interesting.
The second half starts on an impressive note. But after a few minutes, it fails to keep us engaged. There are two songs added in the second half, which were clearly not required.
The climax has some interesting moments, but it drags a lot. Clearly, the runtime of the film could have been shortened by 30 minutes.
Visually, The Raja Saab is a stunning film. The cinematography done by Karthik Palani is excellent. Also, the VFX is outstanding. But, just a visually good-looking film can't make you sit for those 189 minutes.
The Raja Saab Review - Actors' Performances
Prabhas is good in his role and gets some scenes to shine. His stylish avatar will surely impress his fans. But The Raja Saab belongs to Zarina Wahab and Sanjay Dutt. Both veteran actors have done a wonderful job in the film. Wahab's performance in the climax is the highlight of the film.
Malavika Mohanan and Niddhi Agerwal are good in their respective roles, but Riddhi Kumar is hardly there for 10 mins in the whole film. Boman Irani, in his extended cameo, leaves a strong mark.
The Raja Saab Review - Music
Thaman S' background score is just perfect for the film's theme. But, songs don't leave a mark. Also, Nache Nache recreated version looks messy on the big screens.
The Raja Saab Review - FPJ Verdict
Overall, The Raja Saab had the potential to be a fantastic cinematic experience, but the weak screenplay and narration make this film a below-average watch. The makers promoted it as a horror-comedy, and while there are a couple of jump scares, there's not even one scene that will make you laugh out loud.
P.S. After delivering such a below-average film, the makers have announced a sequel titled RajaSaab 2: Circus 1935.
