4 min readHyderabadMar 25, 2026 07:37 PM IST
There is something quietly revealing about how a film’s team behaves with fans after a rough opening weekend. The conversations tend to loosen up, the scripted answers fall away, and what comes through is something more honest. The Ustaad Bhagat Singh fan interaction, held in the shadow of the film’s disappointing theatrical run, was one of those occasions.
By day seven, the film had collected an estimated Rs 76.53 crore net at the Indian box office, according to Sacnilk, with hitting the Rs 100 crore mark looking like a serious challenge, a result that had left trade circles stunned for a Pawan Kalyan Ugadi release. Against that backdrop, director Harish Shankar and actresses’ Sreeleela and Raashii Khanna sat down with fans and spoke with a candour that the film’s promotional run had largely avoided.
A title that lost a generation
Harish Shankar revealed that the film had a title changed to Ustaad Bhagat Singh. “Initially it was Bhavadeeyudu Bhagat Singh, which means yours truly Bhagat Singh,” he said. “However, Gen Z kids couldn’t understand the meaning and the story eventually changed, leading to the title change.”
In the director’s own words, he explained that he title was changed to make the film more accessible to a generation whose attention the team clearly recognised they needed. And yet, when the film finally released, the youth showed no interest in Ustaad Bhagat Singh, with Gen Z audiences, the same group the title change was meant to reach, simply not turning up.
Harish Shankar also shared that after Pawan Kalyan watched the completed film, the actor complimented his craftsmanship. “Pawan Kalyan, after watching the film, complimented my craftsmanship,” the director said, with visible pride.
It is a genuine moment, and there is no reason to doubt the sincerity of it. But it also points to something that has been said about Telugu mass entertainers more broadly: that these films are made, first and foremost, for the approval of the star at the centre of them. When the internal audience, the actor, the director, the producers, and the fans who turned up on day one, all validate the film, it can create a bubble that is difficult to see beyond. The box office, in this case, was the pin that burst it.
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The most interesting revelation of the session came from Sreeleela, who spoke about her process on the film with a vulnerability that stood apart from the rest of the conversation. Asked about her biggest weakness, she did not deflect.
“Being sensitive is what I consider my biggest weakness. Whatever I feel, I take back home from sets,” she said. “After the narration, I was not given any scene because the director wanted me to react naturally on the spot.” And by most accounts, Sreeleela’s work in the film was one of its brighter spots. But the detail also raises a question about where the film’s energy went. The performance side of Ustaad Bhagat Singh was never really the issue. The writing was the problem: outdated, lacking novelty, and unable to hold the attention of anyone beyond the star’s core fanbase.
At the end of the interaction, Harish Shankar confirmed the fans’ speculation, “I’d definitely make a movie with Pawan Kalyan. Along with him, I’d be happy to make a movie with Varun Tej and Ravi Teja.”
