Back from Hyderabad: Press Meet and Special Set Report of the Film “The Raja Saab” — ‘It Took Me an Hour Just to See This Set’

By Shant Swaroop Tripathi

For quite some time now, Prabhas’s fantasy- and action-packed romantic horror-comedy Telugu film “The Raja Saab” has been creating a strong buzz. The film has been dubbed into Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, and Malayalam, and was released on 9 January 2026. Earlier, the Maruti-directed and produced by Shiva Prasad film was scheduled to release on 5 December 2025, but its release was postponed due to Aditya Dhar’s Hindi film “Dhurandhar.” At that time, it was said that Prabhas’s film was delayed out of fear of Dhurandhar. However, after watching the teaser and trailer of The Raja Saab, the film does not appear weak at all. Of course, only after watching the full three-hour-six-minute-long film will its true impact be known.

On Monday, 5 January, a press conference for The Raja Saab was held in Mumbai. Along with producer Vishwa Prasad, actors Malavika Mohanan, Riddhi Kumar, Nidhhi Agerwal, Zarina Wahab, and Boman Irani were present. During the event, the song “Naache Naache” from the film was also screened. While interacting with the media, Boman Irani not only praised Prabhas and director Maruti but also spoke highly of the film’s set. He revealed that it took him a full hour just to explore the ‘haunted palace’ set, adding that the set itself feels like a character in the film.

Hearing Boman Irani speak so passionately about the set made us equally eager to see it. We felt that the readers of Mayapuri should also be told in detail about this extraordinary set. However, a thought crossed our minds—since the film was about to release, the set might have already been dismantled. But during conversations, we learned that the makers are planning a second part of The Raja Saab, which raised the question: Is the set still standing?

The very next day, Tuesday, we received an invitation to a press conference and party scheduled for Wednesday, 7 January, in Hyderabad, with the added information that the media would also get a chance to visit the ‘haunted palace’ set of The Raja Saab. The event itself was to be held on the film’s set. So, we decided to travel to Hyderabad.

To be honest, it took us more than one and a half hours just to see and understand the sheer scale of the set. Experiencing the ‘haunted palace’ was truly mesmerizing and made it clear that the producers had spared no expense. We would like to mention just one room—the library. In most films, libraries are shown with a few old book covers or fake props. But in The Raja Saab, every book in the library appeared real—there must have been at least five thousand books. After seeing the entire set, it became clear why actresses Riddhi Kumar and Nidhhi Agerwal refer to it as their “second home.”

Talking about the film’s title, producer Vishwa Prasad said, “The film initially began with the working title Raja Deluxe, but there were many discussions regarding the name. Several titles, such as Royal, Darling, and Ambassador, were considered. Finally, on the occasion of Sankranti in January 2024, we announced the title The Raja Saab.”

The story is set against the backdrop of an old cinema theatre. Conversations with people on the set revealed that Prabhas plays a dual role—as a financially struggling theatre owner and also as a ghost. Essentially, he will be seen as both grandson and grandfather, while Zarina Wahab plays the role of his grandmother, Ganga Devi.

Story

Produced by People Media Factory and IVY Entertainment, The Raja Saab is Prabhas’s first horror fantasy-comedy film. Written and directed by Maruti, the story revolves around a young man, Raja Saab (Prabhas), who wants to sell his ancestral palace to overcome financial difficulties. However, he discovers that the soul of his evil grandfather resides within it. In reality, while searching for his missing grandfather, Raja Saab finds himself in a mansion haunted by a terrifying supernatural force.

Although the film was officially announced in January 2024, sources reveal that its shooting had actually begun back in October 2022.
At the press conference, writer-director Maruti shared that when he narrated the script to Prabhas, the actor immediately agreed. However, at that time Prabhas was busy shooting for Salaar and Kalki 2898 AD, so it was decided to shoot The Raja Saab alongside those projects. Maruti then began extensive pre-production work.

“Now My Work Will Speak…”
— Maruti, Writer & Director
When we arrived at the set, the press conference had already begun. Tamil- and Telugu-speaking journalists, along with Hindi journalists from Delhi, had arrived before us. Later, journalists from Mumbai joined in. During the conference, Maruti praised Prabhas but mentioned that he did not wish to speak much, as he had been busy working on the first print of the film. He said,

“Now that The Raja Saab is releasing on 9 January, it is better that my work speaks for itself.”

Speaking about the set, Maruti added,“This is a Prabhas film. Everything had to be grand, just like him. Audiences expect that, and we have delivered it.”

The Set

We reached Hyderabad in the afternoon, but it was only around 8 PM that we arrived at the film’s special set, located near Gachibowli, in the outer areas of Hyderabad. The set was constructed inside an old aluminium factory. Some portions of the film were also shot in Kanchipuram.

This is the largest indoor set ever built for a film. Designed by art director Rajeev Nambiar, it spans 41,256 square feet within People Media Factory’s premises in Aziznagar, Moinabad, near Gachibowli—an area that once housed an aluminium factory. Over 1,200 workers completed the set in four months. It includes multiple rooms, a drawing room, dining hall, library, kitchen, and specially designed spaces tailored to the film’s horror-comedy narrative. The film’s climax was shot entirely on this set.

As we entered, the set appeared like a 200–250-year-old massive haunted palace. The library was filled with hundreds of real books, adding authenticity and atmosphere to the study and bedrooms. We even pulled out a few books to examine them. Other rooms featured eerie artefacts, creepy props, root-covered corridors, and bedrooms that looked like they belonged to a long-forgotten royal family. From handcrafted pillars to realistic trees and hanging roots, every detail was designed to make you feel as though you had stepped into a genuinely ancient haunted palace.

We also saw stacks of fake currency notes and gold bars used in the film. On closer inspection, they were indeed props, but highly realistic ones.

Craftsmen on the set told us that the terrifying artworks, trees, and bark textures were all handcrafted over several months to ensure authenticity and minimize reliance on CGI. Their words rang true—the production design emphasizes custom-made props and artefacts. From skull-adorned corridors to mysterious passageways, every detail was created to enhance the atmosphere of fear and tell a story through the environment itself. There were also a dining hall, bedrooms, a kitchen with period utensils, a “torture chamber,” areas for black magic scenes, and even a special “fire chamber,” where real flames were used under strict safety protocols.

Where there is fear, beauty cannot be absent. Art director Rajeev Nambiar focused not on grandeur but on textures, shadows, and props to create a deeply haunted experience. Careful thought was also given to color palettes and lighting. The design team shared that inspiration came from years of study, travel, and sketching.

When Nidhhi Agerwal was asked which song from the film she liked the most, she said,“Composer Thaman has worked extremely hard to create fantastic songs. I love ‘Rebel Star,’ ‘Sehna Sehna,’ and ‘Raja Yuvraaj,’ but my absolute favorite is the party song ‘Naache Naache,’ which was released in Mumbai on 5 January 2026.”

When asked how The Raja Saab differs from other horror comedies like Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Riddhi Kumar explained, “Earlier films focused mainly on horror comedy, but The Raja Saab also includes fantasy. Horror comedy is grounded in reality, while fantasy creates a different world. Like Bhool Bhulaiyaa, this is a psychological thriller, but its universe is fantastical. Audiences always want something new, and this film offers that along with action.”

Calling Prabhas a true pan-India star, producer Vishwa Prasad said, “When we planned this film, Prabhas’s Salaar and Kalki 2898 were also lined up. We wanted to present him in a completely different and better way. So we chose fantasy blended with horror. Maruti was the first to introduce horror comedy, and now he is introducing fantasy within it.”

Composer Thaman added, “The entire team has worked extremely hard. No matter where you place the camera on this set, you get a grand frame. We have been working on this set for three years. The background score is very different, with unique chants. Audiences will see a new Prabhas—there’s comedy, action, horror, fantasy, an emotional bond between grandmother and grandson, and the song ‘Naache Naache,’ which makes everyone dance. After a long time, people will see Prabhas dancing.”

Expressing her joy, Nidhhi Agerwal said, “We are all very happy today because we are in our ‘second home.’ We shot on this set for three years. This set is very special to us. This film is extremely special for me and my career.”

The party continued until 12:30 AM. The next day, Thursday, 8 January, we departed from Hyderabad for Mumbai.