“Audiences Accepted Prabhas in a New Way”: Maruthi on The Raja Saab Success

Emerging as the biggest blockbuster of the Sankranthi season, The Raja Saab has crossed ₹201 crore gross worldwide within just four days of its release. Director Maruthi says the film’s success is deeply satisfying, as it reflects genuine audience acceptance across all sections, including families and children.
“The Raja Saab is being liked by audiences everywhere, and I’m really happy that people are appreciating the way we presented Prabhas in a new light,” Maruthi said in a recent interview. He added that crossing the ₹200 crore mark even before the core Sankranthi holidays began was a proud moment for the entire team. “These collections are coming only because audiences are enjoying the film. We are confident the festive holidays will take it even further.”
Maruthi explained that the film was designed differently from a routine festive entertainer. “Since we mixed fantasy with psychological elements, I knew it might take some time to fully reach the audience. Prabhas himself told me very calmly, ‘Relax darling, we’ve tried something new, it will take time to connect.’ After we added the old-getup scenes, I messaged him again, and he replied saying everything had fallen perfectly into place.”
Talking about audience expectations during the festival season, Maruthi said some viewers initially expected a lighter film. “Once the psychological track begins, especially after that key character enters, the film takes a different turn. Some people may have found it slightly challenging at first. In horror films, killing a ghost is easy, but I didn’t want to make a simple horror-comedy with a star like Prabhas. That’s why we added fantasy and psychological layers and made it on a big scale.”
The director said he chose to speak openly about the film’s response right from the second day. “In today’s social media age, there is no point in hiding anything. Every film faces opinions and criticism. What matters is honesty and audience connection.”
Maruthi revealed that repeat viewings are helping audiences understand the depth of the film better. “When you watch a film for the first time, you look for familiar elements. During the second viewing, you start understanding why certain scenes were designed the way they were. Showing subconscious thoughts and trance-like moments visually is not easy. We worked extremely hard on the reverse scenes in Prabhas’ old getup.”
He also praised Prabhas’ dedication, sharing that the actor spent days thinking about certain sequences. “For some scenes, he took nearly 15 days just to understand how to perform them. He kept telling me, ‘You’ve written such a great scene, darling, I must give my hundred percent.’ Even his subtle smile in one key scene had a huge impact.”
Speaking about fan reactions, Maruthi said, “Prabhas fans are like my own brothers. They keep calling and messaging me, saying they loved seeing him in colourful songs, dances, and a refreshing presentation. Many people from the industry also personally congratulated me.”
Addressing online trolling, Maruthi remained calm and practical. “Tell me one film that hasn’t faced trolling. If four people criticize it, forty others are still going to theatres and saying they enjoyed it. My main responsibility was to deliver the film on time, and I focused completely on that.”
He pointed out that the strong collections from B and C centres prove audience acceptance. “These numbers clearly show that people have accepted Prabhas in a new genre. From the introduction scene itself, we kept expectations controlled. In the climax, we avoided a routine mass fight because that would have been predictable.”
Maruthi concluded by saying the film has been a major learning experience for him, especially in technical aspects like CG and scene design. “At the moment, The Raja Saab is all I’m thinking about. Audiences are enjoying the film, and I’m peacefully celebrating Sankranthi with that happiness. I wish everyone a very Happy Sankranthi.”
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