India, Dec. 28 -- The pre-release event of Prabhas' next, The Raja Saab, was held in Hyderabad on Saturday. The grand event saw the attendance of the film's cast and crew, apart from thousands of cheering fans. The atmosphere got to director Maruthi, who broke down on stage during an emotional speech. However, a stray remark from Maruthi irked some fans, who felt it was disrespectful towards his lead hero.

During his speech at the pre-release event, Maruthi touched upon how the stature of Indian cinema, particularly Telugu cinema, had transformed over the last decade. Recounting an incident, Maruthi said, "We visited a remote village somewhere in South Africa. When I mentioned that I am a film director, he said, "Oh, really?" and looked ...