Ever since the trailer of Prabhas-starrer The Raja Saab dropped, audience response has largely been positive. However, the palace setting, supernatural elements and the presence of a psychiatrist led some viewers to draw parallels with Akshay Kumar’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa. In a recent interaction, the team behind the film has now addressed the comparisons head-on.Producer T. G. Vishwa Prasad made it clear that the similarities are only surface-level. “It’s a full-on horror fantasy with a completely different background story. We had to design a fantasy bringing in India’s biggest star. So, it’s significantly different from the visual elements as well as the backdrop story,” he told Pinkvilla.
“Bhool Bhulaiyaa was rooted in reality; this explores fantasy”
Riddhi Kumar, who plays Anitha in the film, acknowledged her admiration for Bhool Bhulaiyaa while underlining the creative departure The Raja Saab takes. “Bhool Bhulaiyaa is an incredible film, I love it, but it was also very realistically based. It was based on a real palace, in a real situation with real people,” she explained.She went on to add, “This also has a psychological aspect, yet also a very realistic horror aspect, and the world that you venture in is a fantasy world.” Drawing a clear line between the two films, Riddhi concluded, “The whole point of fantasy is to create something that never existed.”
“I hope our film creates the same kind of impact”
Nidhhi Agerwal, who will be seen as Bessie, also weighed in on the discussion, expressing hope that The Raja Saab leaves a lasting impression. “Having said that, I really hope that our film creates the kind of impact that Bhool Bhulaiyaa did,” she said. With its blend of horror, fantasy and spectacle—featuring ghosts, gravity-defying sequences, a crocodile fight involving Prabhas and a special appearance by Sanjay Dutt—Maruthi’s The Raja Saab is aiming to stand apart while delivering a mass entertainer on a grand scale.
