In October 2022, The Raja Saab started shooting in secrecy with no major announcements. Prabhas’ pairing with director Maruthi looked like a hasty project, going to the cinemas by 2023. But the movie took a different direction. Rather than a brief and straightforward shoot, it became a huge Pan-India production with several delays and long shooting periods.
Now, in March 2025, the movie has been officially on sets for 850 days, but the creators are still a long way from finishing it. This strange lag has left everyone puzzled, especially considering that Maruthi has a quick work style.
The Shift from a Small Movie to a Pan-India Blockbuster
Initially conceived as a regional horror comedy, The Raja Saab increased in scope during the course of the project. With Prabhas as its anchor, the cast and crew thought to scale up the film to a big-budget Pan-India production. This shift implied script changes, visual effects, and production quality changes.
Nidhhi Agerwal and Malavika Mohanan star as the heroines, and Prabhas features in a dual role. The higher the expectations grew, the more the filmmakers wanted to make it larger-than-life visually, resulting in extensive post-production. This vision change added enormously to the delayed production timeline.
What’s Causing the Ongoing Delays?
Maruthi has always been famous for his punctuality in finishing projects within a short time frame. But The Raja Saab has been an exception. There have been various reasons for the delay:
- Reshoots and Script Changes – The movie had numerous reshoots, which took a long time. Some parts of the movie were reworked to fit the bigger picture of a Pan-India release.
- Heavy VFX Work – The movie is based heavily on special visual effects, which take time and accuracy. Increased use of CGI has also caused delays.
- Prabhas’ Other Commitments – Being one of the most busy actors, Prabhas has been handling several high-budget films, including Salaar and Kalki 2898 AD. His busy schedule meant sporadic shooting dates.
- Budget Increase – The budget scale of the film soared since it transitioned from a regional film to a Pan-India film. It needed more resources, locations, and technical progress, resulting in unplanned production delays.
The Raja Saab’s Budget Goes Through the Roof
Initially, The Raja Saab was supposed to be a mid-budget movie. But with the entry of Prabhas and the film being turned into a Pan-India movie, the budget went really high. The cost incurred on lavish sets, world-class VFX, and a prolonged schedule took the prices much above what had been anticipated.
Even with the increased budget, the producers are sure that the movie will do well at the box office. With Prabhas’ huge fan base all over India, the box office value is huge. If done right, the movie can shatter records. But after such a long production period, the movie needs to deliver on a grand scale to make the time and money worth it.
Will The Raja Saab Meet Expectations?
With 850 days already gone, fans are eagerly anticipating official news. The absence of an official release date has left viewers wondering if the movie will come in 2025 or be delayed again.
Maruthi and Prabhas are banking high on this one. Maruthi, being the comedy maestro that he is, takes the leap towards bigger things in The Raja Saab. And Prabhas, post-some poor responses to recent releases, does not need but must have a huge box office success to bankroll his omnipotence.
Read Also :- Hari Hara Veera Mallu Faces Another Delay – Release Date in Jeopardy
A Last Word: Worth the Wait?
After more than two years of filming, The Raja Saab has become one of the longest productions in recent Telugu history. Although fans are still eager, the delays have caused worries. If the movie can meet the expectations of a Pan-India audience, the wait will be worth it.
The official release date announcement is now vital. With Prabhas at the helm, the movie has a chance to make waves at the box office. But the team has to ensure that the final film is worth the long wait.
For now, The Raja Saab remains an enigma, fans waiting day by day for when they would finally get a glimpse of the magic on the big screen.
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