OTT Release of The Raja Saab Faces Brutal Backlash

Soon after the digital release, screenshots and clips highlighting logic gaps, poor visual effects, and weak execution flooded social media. Many viewers who tuned in expecting a better experience than the theatrical version were left even more disappointed. As expected, OTT audiences proved far less forgiving than theatrical viewers.

With the freedom to pause, rewind, and freeze frames, every scene of The Raja Saab is being dissected. Poor VFX, awkward face-swapping, weak direction, cringe comedy, and lifeless performances have all come under intense scrutiny. The trolling has been relentless.

One of the most damaging criticisms revolves around the excessive use of body doubles. In several scenes, Prabhas is visibly absent — not just during action sequences but even in simple moments like walking, sitting, or talking. Heavy face-swapping throughout the film has not gone unnoticed. One viral comment read, “When dupe screen time is more than hero screen time, the result is The Raja Saab.” In one particular scene, viewers even spotted one hand clearly belonging to Prabhas while the other did not.

The outdated comedy involving Prabhas Srinu and Sapthagiri has also been widely criticised. OTT viewers, with little patience for such humour, rejected these sequences outright. Several fans tagged director Maruthi on X, angrily asking what prompted him to deliver such a disastrous output. Some admitted the criticism felt too genuine to defend their star.

One fan remarked, “We defended Adipurush, but we cannot defend this.” Another said, “For other heroes, trolls create morph edits. For Prabhas, his own directors do it on screen.”

Prabhas himself has not escaped criticism. Some viewers pointed out that even in scenes requiring performance — such as the hospital sequence — he appeared lazy and lacked screen presence. His forced drunken act was cited as one reason the makers relied heavily on body doubles and face swaps. A brutally honest review stated, “One hour into The Raja Saab, and honestly, it does not deserve the hate it is getting — it deserves much more.”

Many viewers admitted they struggled to understand the film even after rewatching it, questioning how several shots were approved and made it to the final cut. Thaman’s excessively loud background score also drew heavy criticism.

Trade watchers and fans alike believe the responsibility does not lie with Maruthi alone. Prabhas approved the storyline, failed to course-correct, insisted on multiple heroines, and accepted excessive dependence on body doubles, all of which severely impacted the final product.

If the theatrical response to The Raja Saab was poor, the OTT reaction has been outright brutal. After the backlash to Adipurush, which was expected to serve as a wake-up call, The Raja Saab has further damaged the perception of Prabhas’ VFX-heavy films.

A star’s biggest enemy is not making mistakes, but repeating them. The Raja Saab has arguably caused more damage to Prabhas’ credibility than Adipurush, turning him into pan-India troll material. Now, all eyes are on Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who may need to pull off nothing short of a miracle with Spirit to undo the damage left by this cinematic misfire.