Prabhas was a 'medium range hero' whom SS Rajamouli turned into pan-India star, says The Raja Saab director; fans miffed

Maruthi, the director of Prabhas' upcoming film, The Raja Saab, addressed the actor's stardom at the film's pre-release event on Saturday.

The pre-release event of Prabhas’ next, The Raja Saab, was held in Hyderabad on Saturday. The grand event saw the attendance of the film’s cast and crew, apart from thousands of cheering fans. The atmosphere got to director Maruthi, who broke down on stage during an emotional speech. However, a stray remark from Maruthi irked some fans, who felt it was disrespectful towards his lead hero.

Prabhas’s The Raja Saab is set to release in theatres in January 2026.(X/@rajasaabmovie)

Maruthi on Prabhas' fame

During his speech at the pre-release event, Maruthi touched upon how the stature of Indian cinema, particularly Telugu cinema, had transformed over the last decade. Recounting an incident, Maruthi said, “We visited a remote village somewhere in South Africa. When I mentioned that I am a film director, he said, "Oh, really?" and looked at me from top to bottom. I then asked him if he knew who my hero was, and he asked, "Who?". When I said "Prabhas," he replied, "Oh, the Baahubali hero?". This shows that he has become known even to people of a different tribe in the Masai Mara.”

Maruthi then thanked Baahubali director SS Rajamouli for his contribution in elevating the stature of Telugu cinema worldwide. “Every director is very, very, very indebted to Rajamouli garu. The reason is that today, everyone is walking around with their collars raised, saying "Pan India, Pan India," but he is the one who put his life into it, introduced a medium-range hero to the Pan-India stage, and established a massive cutout (stature) for the world today.”

Fans debate Maruthi's statement

While the message in Maruthi’s statement was appreciated, many fans of Prabhas did not like how he referred to the actor as a ‘medium-range hero’. One shot back, “Prabhas giving it all back by giving chances to medium-range directors like you.” Another added, “Prabhas also had blockbusters like Varsham, Chatrapati, which are a bigger sensation than Aadhi. In fact Prabhas had a way better streak than NTR around that time - Darling, Mr. Perfect, Mirchi all were hits. Even Rebel had a massive hype.”

However, many Telugu film aficionados said Maruthi wasn’t wrong, as actors like Prabhas, Allu Arjun, and Ram Charan were considered tier-2 stars in Tollywood before their respective pan-India blockbusters like Baahubali, Pushpa, and RRR. “There is no 100cr grosser for Prabhas Raju before Bahubali, so mid range ye, be calm & composed,” argued one. Another said, “Prabhas and Allu Arjun were behind the likes of Mahesh Babu and NTR in fame in the 2000s and the first half of the 2010s.”

About The Raja Saab

The Raja Saab, a fantasy thriller, sees Prabhas return to his favourite genre of mass entertainer with comedy. The film also stars Sanjay Dutt, Nidhhi Agerwal, Malavika Mohanan, Riddhi Kumar, and Boman Irani. The Raja Saab releases in theatres on 9 January 2026, coinciding with Sankranti.