Despite grand ambitions, The Raja Saab collapses into a patchy mix of horror, comedy, and emotion.

Storyline:

Gangamma (Zarina Wahab), an Alzheimer’s patient, is cared for by her grandson Raju (Prabhas). Though her memory fades, she firmly believes her husband Pekamedala Kanakaraju (Sanjay Dutt), a feared exorcist, is alive. Raju’s search leads him to Hyderabad, where he uncovers a chilling truth Kanakaraju is long dead and has returned as a powerful, malevolent spirit. As Raju digs deeper, he discovers his grandfather’s dark past driven by greed, setting up a psychological and emotional clash between the two.

Positives:

• Prabhas attempting a full-fledged comic role after a long gap is refreshing. While uneven, a few scenes genuinely click.
• Satya provides decent support, enhancing humor where the writing permits.
• Zarina Wahab brings emotional gravitas, and her portions connect in select moments.
• Sanjay Dutt’s character is well-defined, and his intense psychological presence adds intrigue.
• A few second-half sequences Prabhas’ shadow encounter, the hospital emotional scene, and Sanjay Dutt’s mind games stand out briefly.

Negatives:

• Strong concept but weak execution; the film never fulfills its ambitious promise.
• Comedy often misfires due to dull writing and ineffective staging, leading to tonal inconsistency.
• Female leads Malavika Mohanan, Nidhhi Agerwal, and Riddhi Kumar are underwritten and largely ornamental.
• Songs feel forced, especially “Nache Nache,” which disrupts the narrative flow.
• Supporting cast is underutilized.
• Poor pacing, a disjointed first half, and an overlong runtime dilute engagement.

Technicalities:

• Maruthi’s direction lacks narrative discipline and tonal clarity.
• Thaman’s background score is excessively loud and overwhelming.
• Karthik Palani’s cinematography is serviceable with occasional highlights.
• Editing by Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao needed sharper trimming, particularly in the first half.
• CGI quality is inconsistent, while production values remain decent.

Rating:

2.75 / 5

Final Verdict:

The Raja Saab works only in fragments and never fully comes together. Prabhas’ sincere attempt at comedy shows promise but lacks consistency. Weak writing, tonal imbalance, and pacing issues weigh the film down. With only a handful of engaging moments in the second half, this horror fantasy is best suited for die-hard Prabhas fans or genre enthusiasts provided expectations are kept low.

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