Prabhas has become synonymous with larger-than-life characters, from his Raghava act in Adipurush (2023) to his Bhairava avatar in Kalki 2898 AD. That’s why his next, The Raja Saab, comes as a refreshing change of pace. We hear the horror comedy—written and directed by Maruthi—sees the actor as a common man, who visits his family’s ancestral property that includes a dilapidated theatre and unwittingly sets off a chain of events. Prabhas kicked off the latest schedule in Hyderabad last week, joining co-stars Nidhhi Agerwal, Malavika Mohanan and Riddhi Kumar.

On paper, Maruthi’s directorial venture may be a regular horror comedy fare. But sources tell us that The Raja Saab is mounted on an ambitious budget of R350 crore. The Telugu project, which also stars Sanjay Dutt in a crucial role, has been envisioned as a pan-India offering and will be dubbed in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada.

A source reveals, “The project rolled in late 2022. While Prabhas filmed a chunk of the movie earlier, he joined the latest leg only last week. After a long time, he will play a guy-next-door, far removed from his last few characters that had extraordinary powers. The makers have envisioned the horror comedy as a moody affair; they want to build the film’s world along the lines of the Harry Potter franchise, or closer home, the Bhool Bhulaiyaa franchise. The entire film is being shot in Hyderabad, with elaborate sets being created for the purpose.”

We hear the massive sets and the VFX are the primary reasons for the movie’s high budget. “Given the nature of the story, a huge amount of special effects is involved. The sets too are opulent. Currently, a grand set, designed by Rajeevan Nambiar, has been put up in a studio where a romantic song is being shot with Prabhas and Nidhhi. The schedule will go on till the month-end, and will include some dramatic scenes,” adds the source.

With this leg, the film is past the halfway mark, and well on its way for an April 2025 release.