The Prabhas-starrer The Raja Saab was released on January 9 and has been receiving below-average feedback across the board. The film failed to impress audiences, including Prabhas fans, who took to social media to express their disappointment and troll director Maruthi. Interestingly, the promotional trailers featured Prabhas in an old get-up, along with a rooftop action sequence, but both are missing from the final cut of the film.
With growing demand from fans to include those scenes, the makers have now decided to add them to the film starting Saturday evening. Speaking about the film, director Maruthi said, “I am very grateful to Prabhas for giving me the opportunity to direct him. Usually, I complete a film within nine months, but The Raja Saab took nearly three years because I wanted to present him in a completely new avatar and with a different kind of subject.”
During a media briefing held on Saturday, Maruthi spoke about the mixed response the film has received. “Some people appreciated the way I presented the mind game in a commercial format. They felt this kind of subject hadn’t been attempted before. The last 40 minutes of the film have been receiving good appreciation from audiences worldwide,” he said.
Maruthi added that while he could easily make a typical commercial film with a star like Prabhas, he wanted to experiment. “A new kind of subject needs a big star, and Prabhas encouraged me to attempt something different. Some intellectual audiences liked the film, while others couldn’t connect with it. But a film’s result cannot be judged in just one day. Such films take time and usually pick up slowly. We can decide the outcome after ten days,” he explained.
Confirming the addition of the missing scenes, Maruthi said, “Many people called me asking about Prabhas’ old get-up that was shown in the trailer. We couldn’t include it initially, but from this evening onwards, audiences can watch those scenes in theatres. We have also added the rooftop action episode.”
According to the director, the newly added footage runs for about eight minutes. “Fans will definitely enjoy Prabhas’ swag and see the real Raja Saab in these episodes. We have also sharpened the film based on audience feedback,” he said.
Maruthi concluded by expressing his happiness and urging audiences to celebrate the festival season. “Prabhas gave an opportunity to a mid-range director like me to attempt a new kind of subject. Such films take time to settle,” he said, adding that ticket prices will return to normal from Monday onwards.