Ustaad Bhagat Singh director on film clashing with Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar 2: ‘If it was Shah Rukh Khan movie…’

Ustaad Bhagat Singh director Harish Shankar has addressed the film’s clash with Dhurandhar 2, clarifying that the release date decision was not in his hands.

After Toxic was postponed, Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar 2 is now set to lock horns at the box office with Pawan Kalyan’s Ustaad Bhagat Singh, creating a strong buzz across the film industry. However, Ustaad Bhagat Singh director Harish Shankar appears unfazed by the clash as he asserts that the box office has enough room for two to three big-ticket films to thrive at the same time.

Ustaad Bhagat Singh and Dhurandhar 2 are releasing on March 19 with paid previews on the evening of March 18.

Ustaad Bhagat Singh director on clash with Dhurandhar 2

In an interview with Gulte, the director addressed the film’s clash with Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar 2, clarifying that the decision regarding the release date was not in his hands.

When asked how he views the box office clash and whether he feels nervous about going head-to-head with Aditya Dhar’s sequel, the filmmaker did not shy away from praising his competitor.

He said, “With all due respect, Aditya Dhar is a superior filmmaker. I watched Uri. He is a very impactful, very influential filmmaker. Having said that, India-wide films should consider Dhurandhar as competition. But we have our Telugu states for the film. Also, they both belong to very different genres. If, in place of Dhurandhar, it was an SRK (Shah Rukh Khan) movie, songs, full entertainer zone, then we would have thought, ‘Oh, it’s similar to our film.’ But Bhagat Singh and Dhurandhar are totally different films.”

Harish added, “Also, it’s a collective decision. It wasn’t in my hands alone. Somewhere within, I too felt, ‘I am doing a film with Pawan Sir after so long, and for that film to compete with any other big film…’ And still, whether it’s Sankranti or summer, it’s always a combination. There is space for 2-3 big films to work. It’s not like they won’t show any other film except Dhurandhar across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.”

He also expressed confidence that superstar Pawan Kalyan’s massive fan base will turn up in theatres, mentioning that it is the reason why the team didn’t panic or act in a hurry even when Toxic was postponed.

About Ustaad Bhagat Singh and Dhurandhar 2

As the makers of Geetu Mohandas and Yash’s Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups announced that their film has been postponed amid the US-Israel-Iran conflict, Pawan Kalyan-starrer Ustaad Bhagat Singh moved up their date to take the slot. The film, initially scheduled for release later this month, will now hit screens on March 19 for Ugadi and will clash with Aditya Dhar’s Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhurandhar 2.

Ustaad Bhagat Singh is an adaptation of Atlee and Vijay’s 2016 film Theri and has been in production since 2023. The film also features Sreeleela and Raashii Khanna. Devi Sri Prasad and Thaman S composed the film’s music and background score.

Meanwhile, Dhurandhar: The Revenge film marks Ranveer Singh’s return as Hamza, also known as Jaskirat – an Indian spy operating in Pakistan. The heavily anticipated film also stars R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Danish Pandor, Rakesh Bedi, and Sara Arjun. Part 1 was a mega success, earning ₹1300 crore worldwide. Directed by Aditya Dhar, the sequel is expected to repeat its success. The first part was released in December last year.