The RajaSaab, an upcoming Telugu romantic horror comedy directed by Maruthi, stars Prabhas in the lead alongside Sanjay Dutt, Nidhhi Agerwal, Malavika Mohanan (marking her Telugu debut), and Riddhi Kumar among others. The film’s music is by Thaman S, cinematography by Karthik Palani, and editing by Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao. The film is set for a worldwide release on 9 January 2026, timed to capture the Sankranthi holiday crowd.
At its core, the plot revolves around a young man eyeing his ancestral property to ease financial troubles—a premise that hardly feels exciting. For the pan-India audience, Prabhas still carries the image of Baahubali, and despite successive big-ticket ventures like Saaho, Radhe Shyam, Adipurush, Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire, and Kalki 2898 AD, the magic of Baahubali hasn’t quite been recreated. That’s why The RajaSaab trailer was critical to set fresh expectations—but it doesn’t quite succeed.
The trailer starts off with a nod to the iconic Enigma album, creating intrigue, only to abruptly shift gears into Bappi Lahiri’s Disco Dancer track—without any narrative logic to justify the transition. It almost feels like a stylistic distraction rather than an organic tonal choice. This mismatch is compounded by Boman Irani’s voiceover introducing Sanjay Dutt’s demonic character, which sounds more staged than seamless.
Maruthi’s blend of horror-infused atmospherics and slapstick comedy doesn’t quite gel. The one-liners lack punch, the humour feels forced, and the characters come across as mere placeholders. The emphasis seems to rest more on CG and VFX-driven spectacle than on narrative depth or emotional connect.
And here lies the bigger issue: the trailer doesn’t tempt enough to warrant the effort—or expense—of a theatrical visit. It gives the impression of a film that could just as well be discovered later on OTT, where the expectations of scale and narrative sharpness are far more forgiving.
That said, festive releases in Telugu cinema often benefit from sheer holiday momentum, and Prabhas’ home-ground star power ensures curiosity. But for a pan-India viewer, the trailer leaves more doubts than excitement. One can only hope Maruthi has held back the real punch for the big screen and that The RajaSaab turns skeptics into believers when it finally releases this Sankranthi.
