I’m happy that people are appreciating the way we presented Prabhas in a new light – Director Maruthi

Emerging as the biggest blockbuster of the Sankranthi festive season in Tollywood, The Raja Saab, starring Prabhas, has crossed ₹201 crore gross worldwide within just four days of release. Families and children are thoroughly enjoying the film. Prabhas’ versatile one-man show, Maruthi’s fresh take in the horror-fantasy genre, and the uncompromising global-scale production by People Media Factory have left audiences mesmerized. In this context, Maruthi shared his thoughts on the film’s success in a recent interview.- The Raja Saab is receiving love from all sections of the audience. Crossing the ₹200 crore mark even before the Sankranthi holidays begin is truly gratifying. These huge box-office numbers are purely because audiences are enjoying the film. We are confident that the festive holidays will further boost the film’s performance. Since we introduced psychological elements along with fantasy, we expected it might take some time to fully reach the audience. Prabhas himself told me calmly, ‘Relax, darling. We’ve tried something new, it will take time to connect.’ After adding the old-getup scenes recently, I messaged him, and he said everything had fallen perfectly into place.”

– Since it’s the festive season, audiences may have expected a lighter film. Once Boman Irani’s character enters, the film takes a psychological turn. Some viewers may have found it slightly challenging to grasp the concept behind those scenes. In horror films, killing a ghost is easy, there are many ways to do it. But with a pan-India star like Prabhas, I didn’t want to make a simple horror-comedy. That’s why we added fantasy and psychological layers and mounted the film on a big scale. At the second-day press meet, I openly spoke about the response and opinions surrounding the film. In today’s social-media-driven world, there’s no point in hiding anything.

– Now, audiences are genuinely enjoying The Raja Saab. They are personally messaging me saying the film is good. When you watch a film for the first time, you tend to look for expected elements. But on a second viewing, you start understanding the depth behind certain scenes. Making a film like The Raja Saab is not easy. Showing a character slipping into a trance visually, and presenting the subconscious mind on screen, is quite challenging. We worked extremely hard on the reverse scenes in Prabhas’ old getup. For some sequences, Prabhas spent nearly 15 days thinking about 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 the Joker scene carried immense impact.”

– Prabhas fans are like my own brothers. They keep calling and messaging me with appreciation, saying they loved seeing him in colourful songs, dances, and a refreshing presentation. Many people from the industry personally congratulated me as well. Directors like Nag Ashwin and Sandeep Reddy Vanga openly supported The Raja Saab.

– Throughout this entire process, I stayed mentally strong. That’s why I came forward and spoke openly on the second day after release. My main stress before release was ensuring the film came out on time. That’s why I may have looked tired in pre-release interviews. Tell me one film that hasn’t faced trolling on social media, every film does. If four people criticize it, forty others are still going to the theatres and saying they enjoyed it. Permissions for premiere shows and bookings are not under my control. My responsibility was to deliver the film on time, and I focused entirely on that.

– These massive collections prove that audiences have accepted Prabhas in a new genre. Even B and C centres are witnessing houseful shows. From the introduction scene itself, we deliberately kept expectations low for his character. In the climax, we could have staged a routine fight with hundreds of fighters, but then people would call it predictable. I wanted to prove that I can make a good film even with a huge star. I also learned a lot technically, especially with CG work. Though I wrote Prati Roju Pandage in 40 days, I took nearly two months to design certain scenes in The Raja Saab. This film has given me an invaluable experience.

– At the moment, The Raja Saab is all I’m thinking about. If I ever get a chance to direct Chiranjeevi garu, I would feel that my life’s circle is complete, I am a huge fan of his. Audiences are enjoying our film, and I’m peacefully celebrating Sankranthi as well. Wishing everyone a very Happy Sankranthi.