If there was a Sankranthi release that many had hoped would turn out better than what the promotional material hinted, it was Maruthi’s horror comedy The Raja Saab with Prabhas. Unfortunately, the film, made on an estimated budget of over ₹400 crore, grossed only ₹208 crore worldwide. Producer TG Vishwa Prasad of People Media Factory spoke about it while promoting his upcoming release, Garividi Lakshmi, in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
The Raja Saab producer thinks Sankranthi release affected film
At the press conference, Vishwa was asked about how he had analysed The Raja Saab’s failure. The producer smiled and responded, “We are in a very good mood, not that talking about The Raja Saab would put me in a bad mood. One of the fundamental mistakes was coming in a season (Sankranthi). It would’ve been different had we released it at a different time. Right now, we’re enjoying, so let’s enjoy.”
When the reporter pressed, saying he had ‘disappointed’ Prabhas’ fans and asked if he would make it up with Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit, the producer said, “I am only a distributor for Spirit,” and asked what they meant by ‘make it up’. He was told that fans expect a wider release and good numbers, which fall under the distributor’s purview. Vishwa responded, “We definitely got the best release for The Raja Saab, in terms of size and scale. But because it was released during the season... and there are other factors, too.”
The producer claimed that, apart from the release date, the delays in premieres and ticket price hikes also irked people. “The day we released the film, its premieres were delayed, and we had tried to raise ticket prices as well. I think that’s the first movie we (the production house) tried to raise the ticket price for; we shouldn’t have done it. That caused a delay, and people were frustrated. There are many reasons for it,” said Vishwa.
About The Raja Saab and Spirit
{{/usCountry}}The producer claimed that, apart from the release date, the delays in premieres and ticket price hikes also irked people. “The day we released the film, its premieres were delayed, and we had tried to raise ticket prices as well. I think that’s the first movie we (the production house) tried to raise the ticket price for; we shouldn’t have done it. That caused a delay, and people were frustrated. There are many reasons for it,” said Vishwa.
About The Raja Saab and Spirit
{{/usCountry}}The Raja Saab starred Prabhas, Sanjay Dutt, Nidhhi Agerwal, Malavika Mohanan, Riddhi Kumar and Zarina Wahab. Announced in January 2024, the film was only released in theatres on January 9 this year for Sankranthi. It told the story of a man searching for his missing grandfather, who finds himself in a haunted mansion. The film was panned by critics and audiences alike.
Prabhas now has Spirit lined up with Sandeep Reddy Vanga, with Vishwa distributing the film in Telugu when it releases in 2027. Triptii Dimri, Vivek Oberoi, Kanchana and Aishwarya Desai also star in it. It is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Pranay Reddy Vanga, Krishan Kumar, and Prabhakar Reddy Vanga under Bhadrakali Pictures and T-Series.
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