The Raja Saab Review – Poor Fantasy Tale with Lengthy Runtime

Prabhas, the Pan-Indian titan forged in Baahubali‘s fires, chases genre reinvention. He dives from dystopian epics and abrupt thrillers into a frothy fantasy-horror brew. Fun erupts. Horror chills. Glamour dazzles. Action surges. Sentiments tug. Yet, execution falters.

Synopsis

A sorcerer plunders kingdoms. Sanjay Dutt embodies this fiend. He masquerades as a humble man. Marries Ammu Abhirami’s innocent beauty. Vanishes with her realm’s riches. Decades flash by. Enter Prabhas: a carefree rogue. He vows to reunite his grandmother with this very villain—his grandfather. Three enchantresses cross his path: Malavika Mohanan, Riddhi Kumari, Nidhhi Agerwal. A bumbling cop, VTV Ganesh, tags along with his ragtag crew. Their quest twists into a supernatural snare.

Analysis

At 3 hours 9 minutes, the film drags. Trim it to 2 hours 45 minutes, and patience holds. The first half sprawls for 87 minutes. Tests endure. Prabhas storms in with a massy anthem. Laughter sparks briefly. That terrace banter with VTV Ganesh? Pure hilarity. Malavika Mohanan simmers in romance. Nidhhi Agerwal’s nun forsakes vows for love—contrived, though. Riddhi Kumari fades into the backdrop. Sanjay Dutt intrigues, but craves sharper edges. Then, the interval twist lands. It hooks.

Seamlessly, the second half unfolds. Prabhas reveals new depths—no spoilers here. Expectations soar for thrills. Mediocrity crashes in instead. He rarely acts. VFX stumbles. Fairy tales demand wizardry. This delivers artifice.

Brilliant cinematography by Karthik Palani paints lush frames. Thaman S’s score pulses with energy. Dialogues crackle at times. Yet, Maruthi’s direction wanders. Pacing slackens. Characters blur. Prabhas elevates every frame, but the script starves him. Sanjay Dutt chews scenery. Supporting cast shines sporadically.

In Tamil cinema’s vibrant tapestry, The Raja Saab tempts with promise. It stumbles on delivery. Fans savor Prabhas’ charisma. Critics lament the waste. A decent fairy-tale skeleton deserves fleshier bones. Watch for the star. Skip if polish matters.