Hyderabad: The Raja Saab has turned into a major box office failure despite huge expectations. Starring Prabhas and directed by Maruthi, the film was released during Sankranti 2026 with a massive budget of around Rs. 400 crore. While the opening was strong, negative reviews and poor word of mouth affected its long-term run.
Production Issues
According to M9News reports, the problems went beyond weak content. The production faced serious planning issues. The team reportedly shot more than four hours of footage, but only around three hours made it to the final cut. Nearly one hour of scenes was completely scrapped. This raised concerns in trade circles, as such large-scale wastage is rare for a big-budget film. At one point, the makers even discussed releasing the film in two parts, but director Maruthi rejected the idea and chose to save the sequel concept for a separate project.
Huge Budget Wasted
Great Andhra Reports revealed more details about the financial waste. The unused footage alone is said to have caused losses of nearly Rs. 60 crore. In addition, there were multiple reshoots involving comedian Prabhas Sreenu, along with repeated photo shoots for the heroines using Mumbai-based photographers. These shoots reportedly cost several lakhs each. All these factors pushed the budget higher and added pressure after the box office failure.
OTT Release
After its disappointing theatrical run, The Raja Saab is now heading to digital platforms. JioHotstar has reportedly acquired the OTT rights for around Rs. 80 crore. The platform has officially confirmed that the film will premiere on February 6, 2026.
