So, I was just reading about this—it’s honestly kind of a wild story. Basically, everyone’s talking about how The Raja Saab (Prabhas' latest horror-comedy) totally tanked after a massive start. It opened with over 100 crore worldwide on day one (January 9, 2026), but then it just... fell off a cliff.
 |
| !Photo Credit: actorprabhas) From ₹100 Cr Opening to Empty Theaters |
The veteran filmmaker you're thinking of is Thammareddy Bharadwaja. He didn't hold back at all during a recent interview with SumanTV.
Why it "Lost its Identity"
According to Bharadwaja, the movie suffered from what you might call "Pan-India Syndrome." Here’s the breakdown of what he said went wrong:
1) From "Small and Cute" to Massive: He revealed that the movie was originally meant to be a "small, cute" Telugu film. Director Maruthi is famous for these mid-budget, rooted entertainers (like Bhale Bhale Magadivoy). But once Prabhas was fully on board, they tried to turn it into this giant, Rs 450 crore "Pan-India" spectacle.
2) The Budget Trap: Bharadwaja argued that if they’d stuck to a Rs 100 crore budget, the film would have been a huge hit. Instead, they spent almost two years reshooting and "polishing" it to make it feel bigger, which he says made it lose its soul.
3) Salary vs. Production: He made a pretty bold claim that in these big films, makers spend 80% on the star's salary and only 20% on the actual movie. He compared this to Rajamouli, who apparently does the opposite.
The Box Office "Crash"
The numbers are actually pretty depressing if you're a fan:
The Opening: A solid Rs 112 crore gross on Day 1.
The Crash: By Day 12, it was making less than Rs 75 lakh a day. That’s a total collapse for a movie that cost that much to make.
The Regional Failure: It did okay in Telugu (about Rs 115 crore), but it completely bombed in Hindi and other languages. The Hindi version only made around Rs 23 crore—which is nothing for a Prabhas film these days.
Director Maruthi’s Defense
Interestingly, Maruthi actually blamed the Sankranti festival mood! He said people were in too much of a "festive mood" to really connect with the deeper layers of the movie. (Most fans on Twitter didn't really buy that, though—they mostly complained about the length and the "senseless" plot).
It's a shame because people were really looking forward to seeing "Darling" Prabhas in a fun role again.
0 Comments
Do Share Your Views