Harish Shankar is gearing up for the release of his next directorial, Ustaad Bhagat Singh. The director found himself in soup after replying to an X post that seemed to take a dig at Mahesh Babu and his film’s box-office collections. His response did not sit well with Mahesh Babu fans. On March 11, Harish Shankar issued an official statement on the matter and apologised to the fans.
Harish Shankar apologises
In a new post on his X account, Harish began, “Yesterday was a very busy day. I had meetings with board officials after the censor, visited Peddamma Temple to seek blessings, worked on post-production, checked the song promo and also completed a round of promotions before heading to Thaman’s studio for the background score. During this time, I was also replying to journalists, well-wishers, and fans who appreciated the promo and were sending their wishes. In that rush, I only partially read a tweet and quoted it unintentionally. Within a minute, my team alerted me and asked me to read the tweet completely. I immediately realised my mistake and deleted it.”
‘This was an unintentional mistake’
He continued, “I have immense respect for Superstar Mahesh Babu garu. In fact, I have always believed that many records will be created under his name with Varanasi. This was an unintentional mistake with absolutely no intention to hurt him or his fans. You can even check the tweets I posted on his birthday to understand the love and respect I have for him… However, if that brief moment caused hurt to anyone’s feelings, I sincerely apologise from the bottom of my heart.”
It all started when a user tweeted on X that Ustaad Bhagat Singh should surpass box office records set by Mahesh Babu’s movies. Harish Shankar replied with the Telugu word Thadastu, which loosely means “so be it”. He immediately realised the mistake and deleted the tweet.
Pawan Kalyan’s much-delayed Ustaad Bhagat Singh was initially scheduled to be released on March 26, but was preponed. It will now release on March 19. The film is an adaptation of Atlee and Vijay’s 2016 film Theri and has been in production since 2023. Sreeleela, Raashii Khanna, and others play key roles. Devi Sri Prasad and Thaman S composed the film’s music and background score.
Mahesh Babu will be seen next in Varanasi, directed by SS Rajamouli. The makers recently released the grand teaser, giving fans a glimpse of Mahesh Babu’s Rudhra wielding a trishul, covered in blood, and riding a bull. Priyanka Chopra plays Mandakini, while Prithviraj Sukumaran appears as the antagonist, Kumbha. The film’s music is composed by Oscar-winning MM Keeravani, with the story penned by V. Vijayendra Prasad. It will release in theatres on April 7, 2027.