Director Harish Shankar has publicly accepted the failure of Ustaad Bhagat Singh for the first time during the trailer launch of Thiruveer’s comedy film Papam Prathap. The acknowledgment marks a major shift in his stance after weeks of defending the film. Ustaad Bhagat Singh, starring Pawan Kalyan, released in theatres on March 19, 2026, with massive fan expectations. Despite the hype, the film failed to meet box office targets and emerged as a commercial disaster.
Initially, Harish Shankar defended Ustaad Bhagat Singh and called it his best film, claiming he had matured as a writer with the project. He even compared it favourably to his earlier blockbuster Gabbar Singh. However, at the Papam Prathap trailer launch, the director finally admitted the reality.
When the anchor addressed him as “Papam Harish,” Harish Shankar joked that he first thought it referred to his last film’s failure to connect with audiences. He later realized the anchor had prefixed “Papam” to all guests’ names to match the film title.
At the same event, Harish Shankar announced a new collaboration with ETV Win as both writer and producer. He described the OTT platform as the right space to tell stories that face commercial barriers in theatres. The director said he is eager to explore content-driven narratives without the pressure of theatrical mass masala demands.