Power Star Pawan Kalyan’s Ustaad Bhagat Singh pre-release event was a grand gala, with the core team in attendance and crowds coming in massive numbers, cheering for every moment.
Producers Naveen Yerneni and Y. Ravi Shankar stated that it’s a dream come true for them to make a movie with Pawan Kalyan.
“Although we made movies with many stars, we always dreamed of making at least one movie with Pawan Kalyan. Despite his busy schedules, he worked really hard to complete the movie in a short span,” they said.
Director Harish Shankar made an interesting revelation that he initially planned to make an extension of Kushi, with the lead actors working as lecturers in a college, but called it off as it lacked heroism.
“Naveen and Ravi are the best producers—they gave me more than what I asked for. On-screen Pawan Kalyan is the hero, but behind the screen, Devi Sri Prasad is the hero of the movie. He couldn’t attend because of his busy schedule. I thank Thaman S for doing the BGM. Preponing the film was a collective decision. All the distributors advised this date. This Ugadi belongs to Ustaad.
Parthiban’s screen presence is magical. K. S. Ravikumar played a strong role. Sreeleela’s energy is incredible. She is a great dancer and performer. I never intended to do an item song with Pawan Kalyan, but he danced brilliantly in this movie. At a time when I was feeling very low, Pawan came like a blessing and told me to make this film. Pawan Kalyan poured his soul into this film.”
Pawan Kalyan heaped praises on Harish Shankar and his producers Naveen and Ravi Shankar. He also stated that he will continue doing movies.
“Cinema is what fed me. Cinema is what gave me the recognition that allows me to serve people today. I always want my producers to be happy. I want my films to bring joy to my fans. I don’t care about collections. I don’t see Telugu, Tamil, or Hindi films—I see them all as Indian cinema. The fact that Telugu cinema has reached the Oscars makes me proud to be part of this industry.
I want my directors and writers to do justice to their work, but results are not in our hands. For me, Chiranjeevi will always be the one true hero. Harish Shankar wanted to invite him here, but I said I wouldn’t be able to speak freely if he comes. I thank Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan for their good words about the trailer.
Despite many hurdles, we completed major portions of the movie in just 45 days. Harish Shankar gave me the confidence that if I plan properly, I can still do films. Mythri Movie Makers have delivered big hits. They succeed because they work hard. Without Devi Sri Prasad, the film wouldn’t have had this much energy. Thaman, who composed music for OG, gave us the BGM for this movie.
Sreeleela is a brilliant performer and dancer—her character will be memorable in her career. There is a song with her which I loved doing. Raashii Khanna accepted the film for my sake without even hearing the story and did a fabulous job. KS Ravikumar and Parthiban played important roles.
If one among you becomes a director, he would be like Harish Shankar. He’s an amazing filmmaker. He is very committed. I tell him to stay away from unnecessary controversies. While dubbing, I felt this film should achieve success like Gabbar Singh. The final verdict always belongs to the audience. We made the film sincerely without mistakes. It will be engaging and entertaining.
When I was at a low point, Bheemla Nayak gave me confidence again. I want my films to have entertainment but also patriotism and social awareness—all within a commercial format, which Harish Shankar beautifully executed. If someone comes to me for a film next time, I will send them to Harish Shankar and Mythri. I used to work till 2 AM many nights.”
