Director Maruthi Sparks Controversy with Prabhas Medium Range Hero Remark

Maruthi, the director of Prabhas's upcoming film The Raja Saab, sparked controversy at the film's pre-release event in Hyderabad by calling Prabhas a "medium-range hero". The comment was met with backlash from fans who felt it disrespected their favorite actor. Maruthi made the statement while highlighting the global recognition of Indian cinema, especially Telugu cinema, in the past decade.

During his speech, Maruthi shared an anecdote about being recognized in a remote village in South Africa, where he mentioned Prabhas as his hero. He expressed gratitude to Baahubali director SS Rajamouli for elevating the global stature of Telugu cinema, saying "Every director is very, very indebted to Rajamouli garu... he is the one who introduced a medium-range hero to the pan-India stage".

Fans of Prabhas were quick to defend the actor's status in Tollywood, pointing out that he had delivered blockbusters like Varsham and Chatrapati, which were major hits. Some fans argued that Prabhas had a superhit streak like Darling, Mr. Perfect, and Mirchi. However, others agreed with Maruthi's statement, noting that actors like Prabhas and Allu Arjun only gained nationwide popularity after Baahubali and Pushpa, respectively.

The Raja Saab, a fantasy thriller, marks Prabhas's return to mass entertainment with comedy. The film also stars Sanjay Dutt, Nidhhi Agerwal, Malavika Mohanan, Riddhi Kumar, and Boman Irani, and is set to hit theaters on January 9, 2026.