The Raja Saab review: Prabhas magic and a three-hour rollercoaster that skips the fun

The Raja Saab movie review: There’s a moment, roughly two-thirds into The Raja Saab, when you briefly sit up in your seat. Director Maruthi finally seems to crack his own puzzle. Two adversaries face off without ever sharing the same physical space. Words become weapons. Minds replace muscles. It’s an ambitious idea, staged as a psychological duel between Raju (Prabhas) and Kanakaraju (Sanjay Dutt), a conflict that also doubles up as a warped family inheritance battle between a grandson and his grandfather.

For a fleeting stretch, the film hints at something sharper, cleverer, and far more daring than what precedes it. Sadly, that spark arrives far too late.

Prabhas plays Raju, an easygoing man whose world revolves around his grandmother Gangamma (Zarina Wahab), a woman slowly losing her memory but clinging to visions of her missing husband. Her condition could’ve anchored the film emotionally, but it remains more of a narrative device than a lived-in reality. When Raju follows a lead to Hyderabad and stumbles into a haunted palace owned by the elusive Kanakaraju, the story tilts towards supernatural chaos. From here, logic loosens, timelines blur, and genres collide.

The first half meanders endlessly. Comedy stretches overstay their welcome. Romantic subplots pop up and vanish without consequence. Raju’s oddball romance with Bessy (Nidhhi Agerwal), a nun-in-training, is amusing but utterly disposable. Kanakaraju, despite a striking introduction, takes far too long to register as a real threat. By the time the central conflict asserts itself, the film has already burned through most of its runtime on filler.

When the hypnosis angle finally takes centre stage, the film shows flashes of originality. The idea of Raju having to outsmart, outthink and "out-hypnotise” an immortal sorcerer obsessed with wealth and power is genuinely intriguing. Boman Irani’s Dr Padmabhushan, a psychologist with paranormal leanings, briefly injects some order into the madness. But even here, the storytelling feels rushed, as though the film suddenly remembers it has a destination to reach.

What keeps The Raja Saab from being entirely unwatchable is Prabhas himself. There’s an easy warmth to his performance. He looks comfortable, relaxed, and oddly charming in moments that demand nothing more than comic timing and vulnerability. His scenes with VTV Ganesh, Sathya and ‘Prabhas’ Sreenu recall a lighter, spookier buddy-comedy that the film never commits to but should have. Zarina Wahab, too, lends quiet dignity to an underwritten emotional arc.

The supporting cast, unfortunately, doesn’t fare well. Malavika Mohanan’s Bhairavi enters the story with promise, only to be reduced to decorative longing. Riddhi Kumar completes an awkward romantic triangle that feels stuck in another decade. Samuthirakani’s role is crucial on paper, forgettable in execution. Characters drift in and out without justification, leaving you wondering why they were introduced at all.

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The biggest flaw of The Raja Saab is simple: it never commits. It wants scale without structure, novelty without clarity, and spectacle without emotional grounding. Scenes exist because they look good, not because the story needs them. Horror turns goofy. Comedy turns stale. Romance turns regressive. Even the rules of its own mystical universe keep shifting, making it hard to invest in the stakes. The film isn’t confusing because it’s complex — it’s confusing because it’s careless.

In the end, The Raja Saab tests the audience’s patience, loyalty, and goodwill in equal measure. It’s an unintended maze, where even a charismatic Prabhas struggles to guide us out. Watch Dhurandhar again if you wish to waste 3 hours instead!