Exclusive | Harish Shankar on ‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’: ‘A Side Of Pawan Kalyan Sir We Haven’t Seen In A Decade’

Harish Shankar is reuniting with Telugu superstar Pawan Kalyan in Ustaad Bhagat Singh after more than a decade (the duo last collaborated in the hit 2012 film Gabbar Singh ). All these years later, there have been various changes. The filmmaker isn't just filming with an actor, but an actor who is also a Deputy Chief Minister. But what hasn't changed is the spark and the extreme hard work that has sustained this combination.

In an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Harish Shankar talks about Ustaad Bhagat Singh, even as he's in the middle of long nights at the post-production table.

What was it like working on ‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’?

It has been quite a while since Telugu audiences have seen a pukka commercial entertainer. This film is a wholesome entertainer for the festive season. It does have a little bit of comedy. It has goosebump moments, high emotions and action sequences. 

We also hear the film will feature the lighter side of Pawan Kalyan. Could you speak about that?

It has been quite a while since we have seen Pawan Kalyan sir laughing on-screen. He has been doing serious and intense roles. This film offers the other side, which hasn't been seen in a decade, I think. He has a great sense of humour so you will see that, suave body language, lighter moments and laughs. 

We have seen young new-age directors like yourself shape superstars in very interesting ways. Nelson did that with Rajinikanth, Anil Ravipudi did that with Chiranjeevi, and now you with PK. How challenging is it to balance a star’s aura and imbue freshness into the film in these cases?

There are a couple of challenges. In today's era, where regions are stretched and markets are growing, it doesn't offer a complete picture. The only offerings are to fans. If you want to have a huge hit, the film should be watched by all kinds of audiences and all hero fans. While keeping in mind the histrionics and fan satisfaction, we do have the responsibility of taking the film to all kinds of audiences. That is challenging. Especially when you do "hero worship" films, there are chances of completely giving into fan moments and deviating from family audiences. 

How was Pawan Kalyan able to manage his time between filming and his position as the Deputy CM?

He has a pre-planned work schedule. If you know that your hero is coming at 10 am in the morning, and he comes at 2pm instead, your work might get disturbed. But when you know the exact timing, it makes things easier. He managed his schedules so well. His timings were previously given to us, and we planned to shoot accordingly. 

Kalyan sir has taken extreme stress travelling from Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh [his office] to Telangana to shoot and manage his cabinet meetings. One morning, he was here; he would leave in the afternoon and come back to Telangana at night. I would like to take this interview to thank him once again because he took on extreme pressure and worked so hard. In this way, God has been very kind to me, and he [Pawan Kalyan] has been very kind to me.

Could you recall some of Pawan Kalyan’s early films that you grew up watching?

While I was in school, the shooting of Tholi Prema and Khushi happened in the BHEL colony. I used to jump in the crowd just to have a glance at him because I was a little short at the time. From those days to now, standing beside him and saying action is a big improvement in my life. 

The release of Ustaad Bhagat Singh has been brought forward and is now facing a clash with Dhurandhar 2. But you look at it as a celebration and not a competition...

We were supposed to release it on March 26. As Toxic got postponed, all the distributors and exhibitors have requested my producers and me to release a Telugu film on Ugadi. They want to start a Telugu commercial entertainer on Ugadi. Keeping trade circle requests in mind, my team and I, including Thaman, have taken the excess pressure and anxiety to release the film earlier. For the last 24 hours, Thaman and I have hardly slept. We have been working day and night, and also doing promotional work.

I know this is going to be a tough task, but we have to achieve it because it is collectively going to do good for the industry. Having said that, I have a huge regard for Aditya Dhar. Right from Uri, I have been a great admirer of his work. It is not at all a competition... but a celebration.