The Raja Saab: Prabhas’ fans burn confetti, bring dummy crocodiles to theaters; horror-comedy lands in controversy

After much anticipation, Prabhas’ The Raja Saab finally hit theatres on January 9. The film made headlines for opening big at the box office, collecting over Rs 63 crore in India. However, alongside its strong opening, the film also grabbed attention for the chaos that followed its release. Marketed as Prabhas’ debut in the horror genre, the film sparked extreme fan frenzy. In a bid to recreate a viral moment from the trailer, several fans were seen bringing dummy crocodiles to theatres, while others burnt confetti inside a theatre in Odisha.

Prabhas fans carry crocodiles in theatres

A video from one of the preview shows went viral, showing fans carrying dummy crocodiles over their heads as they rushed into the cinema halls. The props were meant to recreate a much-talked-about scene from the trailer in which Prabhas is shown engaging in an intense fight with a crocodile—a sequence that had generated significant buzz on social media ahead of the film’s release.

 

Prabhas fans burn confetti in Odisha theatre

Meanwhile, in another incident, fans created chaos inside a theatre in Odisha. Despite the film receiving largely negative reviews, Prabhas’ hardcore fanbase continued to celebrate the release like a festival. As part of the celebrations, a group of fans allegedly set confetti on fire inside a local theatre.

A video circulating online shows confetti being set ablaze while a scene from The Raja Saab plays on screen, creating panic inside the theatre as several fans cheer. The clip quickly went viral and drew severe backlash online, with many raising serious safety concerns.

 

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Reacting to the incident, one user commented, “We have to enjoy, but not like the destruction of the theatre.” Another wrote, “This is the maturity of Prabhas fans. This is not correct. Please behave like mature people - this is not your house. You are shaming Prabhas’ name with such actions.”

Court pulls state government, The Raja Saab producers over ticket price hikes

Amid the ongoing chaos, the Telangana High Court also came down heavily on the state government for approving ticket price hikes and special shows for the Prabhas-starrer.

Justice NV Shravan Kumar on Friday set aside a state government memo that permitted an increase in cinema ticket prices for the release of The Raja Saab. The court was hearing a petition filed by advocate Vijay Gopal, who questioned the legality of the memo.

The petitioner argued that the Home Secretary had no statutory authority to approve ticket price hikes or permit benefit shows, stating that such powers rest solely with the Hyderabad Police Commissioner and the respective district collectors elsewhere. Accepting the submissions, the court struck down the memo and strongly criticised the state administration for repeatedly issuing what it termed "clever memos" to bypass established legal provisions.

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The court also highlighted contradictions in the government’s stance, pointing out that while a minister had publicly stated there would be no ticket price hike, officials still issued an order permitting the increase. Expressing concern, the court questioned why such practices continued despite clear rules and repeated warnings, and whether the concerned offices were unaware of the governing law.

The issue arose after the government, through a late-night order on Thursday, allowed a temporary hike in ticket prices for the film’s Sankranti release. The now-quashed memo permitted an increase of Rs 105 in single-screen theatres and Rs 132 in multiplexes from January 9 to 11.

Notably, The Raja Saab had special shows on January 8 across Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Kerala, earning nearly Rs 10 crore at the box office.

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