A fresh Telugu film called The Raja Saab came out on January 9, 2026. It mixes fantasy, horror, comedy, and romance in one big story. Maruthi wrote and directed it. The main star is Prabhas.
Other key actors include Sanjay Dutt, Boman Irani, Malavika Mohanan, Nidhhi Agerwal, Riddhi Kumar, and Zarina Wahab. The movie runs for 189 minutes, which is over three hours long.
The plot follows Raju, played by Prabhas. He takes care of his grandma Gangamma, acted by Zarina Wahab. She has Alzheimer's disease and forgets most things. But she still remembers her husband Pekamedala Kanakaraju, an exorcist who went away long ago. Raju starts a search for his missing grandpa.
This takes him to Hyderabad. On the way, he faces many problems. He falls in love with Bessy, a kind nun played by Malavika Mohanan. He also meets Bhairavi, who is the granddaughter of a thief. She is played by Nidhhi Agerwal or Riddhi Kumar. She helps him look for clues about Kanakaraju.
Their search ends at an old haunted house deep in a jungle. The house has statues, twisty spiral patterns made by designer Rajeevan Nambiar, and scary items. It looks spooky on screen. But the group inside does not act afraid. They chat about things like sunscreen and skin cream.
A magic closet keeps the women's hair and clothes perfect. There are some sudden scares and a fake crocodile made by computer effects. Still, no real fear builds up. They seem to treat it like a fun trip with friends.
The real story comes from Gangamma's past. Kanakaraju, played by Sanjay Dutt, is not a good guy. He left on purpose and set a trap. He wants to catch Raju in the house for his bad plans. He uses mind tricks, hypnosis, and ghost powers.
The group calls in Padmabhushan, an expert played by Boman Irani. But Kanakaraju beats him fast because his powers are stronger. Raju then finds a big hidden power inside himself. It changes the world into a different place. In that new world, Raju wins the fight against Kanakaraju.
Early in the movie, Raju has a health problem. He tells comedian Mahesh Achanta to get odd things like shoes and smokes. Then he says call an ambulance fast. This joke does not work and feels boring. It shows the film's tone right away. The story tries to bring back Prabhas in fun roles like his old movies Darling or Mr Perfect before Baahubali. But it mixes too many ideas and drags on. The house and neighborhood look fake, like a built set, not real places people live in.
Zarina Wahab acts calm and strong as the grandma who got hurt long ago. Prabhas tries hard to be fun and light. But his outfits change too much, and some lines sound off. The three women leads have weak parts with not much to do. Comics like VTV Ganesh, Satya, and Saptagiri do not add much fun. Sanjay Dutt's old scenes could have been truly scary. Boman Irani brings some mind game ideas, but they end too soon.
The end fight lasts over 30 minutes. It is a smart battle with lots of computer screens and effects. This makes people feel far from the story, not close to it. At the close, a strange figure like a joker who looks like Raju hides in shadows. It hints at a next film called The Raja Saab: Circus. This feels more scary than fun to watch. The movie is the first big one for Sankranti 2026 season. Fans expect easy laughs then, but this one tests how long people can sit.
Big stars and nice sets try to help. But the writing feels lazy. It jumps around without good flow. Scares do not stick. Jokes miss. Love parts stay thin. Viewers may feel stuck in the house like the heroes. It marks one of Prabhas' five films set for 2026.