Veteran actress Zarina Wahab recently said the positive response to her role in Prabhas-starrer The Raja Saab has been gratifying, especially at a time when family-centric stories are gradually disappearing from Hindi cinema.
Wahab attended the film’s pre-release event in Mumbai on Monday. The film marks her debut in Telugu cinema.
Speaking at the film’s Mumbai event, Wahab, who plays Prabhas’s mother, noted that her Telugu film outing surprised many, despite her long-standing career of over four decades.
“People ask me why I am doing Telugu films so I said the ‘family’ in Hindi films have died (vanished). In the south, the family is still very much alive (in storytelling). There are so many family oriented films. I enjoyed it a lot. I’m very thankful to the Telugu and Hindi industries. (But) in family films, artists like me or anyone can fit. When I heard the outline I said yes and after hearing Prabhas name no one can say no to the film,” Wahab said in a statement.
The Raja Saab is a pan-India film produced by TG Vishwa Prasad under the People Media Factory banner. The film is directed by Maruthi, known for films such as Prati Roju Pandage and Prema Katha Chitram.
Speaking at the same event, Boman Irani recalled how his wife found out Prabhas was part of the film when he received the call for the project. “She said, ‘do it’. So I picked up the phone and said I will do it... We had such a great time, like a picnic.”
The Raja Saab also gave Irani the opportunity to reunite with his Munna Bhai co-star Sanjay Dutt, who plays the film’s antagonist.
“He used to trouble me back then and he still does. He is tormenting me (in the film). I am a psychiatrist. I’m a hypnotist. I’m a psychologist.”
“Sanjay Dutt is the one who can put a hypnotist to sleep. I worked with him(Dutt) again recently in another film but I can’t talk about it. I hope in future, Munna Bhai 3 comes alive. Put pressure on Rajkumar Hirani,” Irani added.
Malavika, also part of the cast, said it’s an exciting time to be an actor, as the lines between different film industries have blurred thanks to OTT platforms and social media.
“You do a good film in any language and if people like the film, it’ll travel, get a wider audience, it’ll have a wider reach. I personally love the phase I’m at in my career because I’m working with some of the biggest stars and with some of the best directors across multiple industries. I’m making my Telugu debut and I am doing a bunch of exciting things in Hindi as well.”
The Raja Saab also stars Nidhhi Agerwal. The film’s music has been composed by Thaman S, known for his work in Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo.
The Raja Saab is scheduled to release in theatres on 9 January.