Days after the release of Pawan Kalyan`s Ustaad Bhagat Singh, director Harish Shankar has addressed the negative reviews and box office performance of the film. He also reacted to online trolling by differentiating between constructive criticism and abusive comments. The film starring Pawan Kalyan, Sreeleela and Raashii Khanna, was released in theatres last week with Dhurandhar 2.
Ustaad Bhagat Singh director Harish Shakar reacts to trolls
For the unversed, Ustaad Bhagat Singh faced major challenges at the box office due to the dominance of Ranveer Singh`s spy thriller Dhurandhar: The Revenge. Harish Shankar, during a fan interaction, shared that he welcomes feedback, but not trolling from random accounts. He said, “Trollers are more than free to troll anything, I take constructive criticism. Like, ‘the scene was not very well written’ or ‘it could have been written much better,’ ‘the first half was little slow’… I will take the constructive criticism.”
The filmmaker also spoke about how he does not take anonymous trolling seriously. Harish noted that these anonymous individuals often hide their identities due to insecurity, while further emphasising that he takes responsibility for his work; however, he finds it unproductive to engage with baseless criticism. “If I say something, I take accountability and responsibility for it. When people throw stones in the dark it`s not the same. The way I`ve been trolled, I would`ve quit Twitter [now X] long ago. I don`t care about trolls or those bringing up collections,” he said.
Harish also added that he often blocks or reports trolls if they use abusive language or cross a line.
About Ustaad Bhagat Singh
Ustaad Bhagat Singh, produced by Mythri Movie Makers, had been in production since 2023. The music of the film is composed by Devi Sri Prasad, and the background score is by Thaman S. The film stars a supporting cast including Ashutosh Rana, Nawab Shah, BS Avinash, R Parthiban, Gautami, and Chammak Chandra.
Notably, the film marks the second collaboration between Harish Shankar and Pawan Kalyan, after their 2012 hit Gabbar Singh.
Despite the high expectations, Ustaad Bhagat Singh opened to negative reviews and is yet to cross the Rs 100 crore mark at the box office after a week of release.
