06 January,2026 01:39 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Zarina Wahab and Prabhas
The Raja Saab, a horror comedy directed by Maruthi and starring Prabhas, is scheduled to open in theaters on Friday, January 9. On Monday, an event was conducted in Mumbai as part of the movie's promotion. Maruthi and the rest of the actors went to the function, but Prabhas, the lead actor, was unable to attend. These featured supporting cast members Boman Irani and Zarina Wahab as well as the leading females, Malavika Mohanan, Riddhi Kumar, and Niddhi Agerwal.
In The Raja Saab, Wahab, 66, portrays Prabhas, 46, as his grandmother or mother figure. Although she has acted in Telugu films since Gajula Kishtayya in 1975, she explains why she was thrilled to be a part of Maruthi's cast. "I have been working in the industry for more than 40 years now. I am from Andhra, so I can speak good Telugu, much better than anybody else. Everybody kept asking me why I wasn't working in Telugu films. I've worked in a few, but this film is bringing me more fame," said Wahab at the event.
Zarina got candid about how the concept of family has been vanishing from Bollywood, "People in Bombay ask me, why are you doing Telugu films? Hindi films main family mar gayi hai. There's no family. Sirf South mai family abhi bhi zinda hai (The concept of family has died in Hindi; it's only alive in the South). They produce such family-oriented films that people love to watch. I am currently working on 2-3 more Telugu movies," Zarina further quipped.
She made it clear that she is just as appreciative of Telugu movies as she is of Hindi movies for the boost to her more than 40-year career. Prabhas also praised Wahab during a pre-release event in Hyderabad last month. A grandma and her grandson are the subjects of this tale. As the grandma, Zarina Wahab has performed admirably. I lost track of my own dialogue when dubbing since I was so engrossed in her scenes. My on-screen granny won me over. The grandma role is a hero in this movie, much like me," he remarked.
Earlier, while talking to Lehren Retro the actress revealed that she wishes to have a son like Prabhas, she said, "There cannot be anyone like Prabhas. He is so good that I pray to God, I want two sons in my next life, one Sooraj (Pancholi) and one Prabhas. He is such a lovely person. That man has no ego in him. He always shakes hand after pack up with everyone on set. He doesn't have to do it. Yet, he is kind."
