Ustaad Bhagat Singh Movie Review | Kairam Vaashi | THR India

Kairam Vaashi reviews Ustaad Bhagat Singh for The Hollywood Reporter India, noting that director Harish Shankar appears to have played it safe after the cold reception to Hari Hara Veera Mallu. Kairam acknowledges a conscious effort to bring back Pawan Kalyan's trademark lighter, brighter style, and finds that Harish has, to an extent, delivered on that promise. However, he feels the film is let down by a deeply familiar story, functional scene construction, and the problematic use of sexual violence as a narrative device. He also points out that while the dialogues have punch, many feel tonally misplaced, and Devi Sri Prasad's songs lack freshness — though Thaman S's background score does heavy lifting in keeping the energy alive.

On the performance front, Kairam singles out Sree Leela as impressive and praises Rao Ramesh for bringing life and texture to his role. He notes that the second half has genuinely entertaining stretches, particularly the police station sequence and the Paatha Basti scene, and appreciates the subtle tribute to Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry through the use of "Taraliraada Tane Vasantham." Kairam also flags that Raashi Khanna's track acts as a noticeable speed breaker and Sree Leela's nostalgia-heavy subplot doesn't quite land emotionally. His verdict: Ustaad Bhagat Singh isn't a bad film — it's just uninventive and overwhelmingly familiar.