Why Did Ustad Bhagat Singh Director Apologise To Mahesh Babu? A Simple Tweet From Actor’s Loyal Fan Stirred A Controversy Online

Ustaad Bhagat Singh, starring Pawan Kalyan, is set to hit theatres on March 19 and will clash with Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar. Ahead of the release, director Harish Shankar issued an apology to fans of Mahesh Babu after responding to a fan comment without reading it completely.

Taking to his X handle, Harish Shankar shared a detailed explanation about the incident. He had earlier deleted a tweet after Mahesh Babu’s fans criticised him for reacting to a post suggesting that Ustaad Bhagat Singh should surpass the box office records of Mahesh Babu’s films.

In his public apology, Harish Shankar explained that the previous day had been extremely hectic. After completing the film’s censor process, he met board officials, visited Peddamma Temple for blessings, handled post-production work, finalised the song promo, and took part in promotional activities before heading to composer S. Thaman’s studio to work on the background score.

Amid the busy schedule, he was also replying to journalists, well-wishers, and fans who were praising the promo and sending their wishes. In the rush, he partially read a tweet and quoted it unintentionally. Shortly afterward, his team asked him to read the tweet fully, after which he realised the mistake and deleted it immediately.

Harish Shankar also emphasised his respect for Mahesh Babu, stating that he holds the superstar in high regard and believes many more records will be created in his name with Varanasi. He clarified that the incident was an unintentional mistake and that he had no intention of hurting the actor or his fans. He even pointed to the tweets he had posted on Mahesh Babu’s birthday praising Pokiri as proof of his admiration.

Downplaying any suggestion of a publicity stunt, Harish Shankar said that if the brief incident hurt anyone’s feelings, he sincerely apologises. He added that for a film to break records, it requires the love and support of fans of all actors and families.

He concluded by saying that with his film releasing in just 10 days, he has enough sense not to post something controversial, and once again asked people to accept his apology and continue supporting the film.

The controversy began when a fan tweeted 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 responded that the wish was “granted.” Soon after the reply went viral on X, Mahesh Babu fan clubs began trolling the director.