- Harish Shankar apologized to Mahesh Babu fans for a misunderstood tweet about Ustaad Bhagat Singh
- The director deleted his initial tweet after realizing he misread a fan's comment about box office records
- Ustaad Bhagat Singh stars Pawan Kalyan and releases on March 19, clashing with Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar
Ustaad Bhagat Singh, starring Pawan Kalyan, will hit theatres on March 19 and clash with Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar. Ahead of the release, director Harish Shankar apologised to Mahesh Babu fans after reacting to a fan comment without reading it fully.
He shared a detailed apology on his X handle, clarifying what led to the confusion.
He had deleted the previous tweet after Mahesh Babu fans targeted him for reacting to one saying Ustaad Bhagat Singh should break the box office records of Mahesh Babu's films.
Harish Shankar's Tweet
Issuing a public apology, Harish Shankar wrote: "Yesterday was a very busy day. I had a meeting with the board officials after the censor, visited Peddamma Temple to seek blessings, took care of post-production work, did the final checks for the song promo, and 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 the mistake and deleted it."
Praising Mahesh Babu, he added: "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 about Pokiri to understand the love and respect I have for him."
Downplaying any need for a publicity stunt, Harish wrote: "However, if that brief moment caused any hurt to people's feelings, I sincerely apologise from the bottom of my heart.
"For a film to create records, it needs the love and support of fans from all heroes and families alike. I have enough common sense not to post such things when my film is releasing in just 10 days.
"Once again, please accept my sincere apologies for this unintentional mistake and continue to support our film."
The Controversy
A fan wrote that Ustaad Bhagat Singh should break the box office records of Mahesh Babu's films, referring to the actor by his nickname "Bob."
Harish Shankar replied that the wish was "granted."
As soon as his reply went viral on X, he found himself at the centre of trolls led by Mahesh Babu fan clubs.
About Ustaad Bhagat Singh
Directed by Harish Shankar and produced by Mythri Movie Makers, the film is a remake of the 2016 Tamil film Theri.
It stars Pawan Kalyan in the titular role, alongside Sreeleela, Raashii Khanna, R. Parthiban, Ashutosh Rana, Nawab Shah, B. S. Avinash, Gautami, Chammak Chandra, and others in supporting roles.