📌 Key Points
- Pawan Kalyan advised patience! Harish Shankar still unapologetic
- Why Tamil Parthiban? Director Harish Shankar’s viral counter-argument
- “Creative freedom, no language barriers!” Harish Shankar challenges norms
- Harish Shankar’s bold vision sets huge expectations for Ustaad Bhagat Singh
Tollywood’s ‘Cult Captain’ Harish Shankar is notorious for his candid remarks, a trait even Pawan Kalyan advised him to temper. Yet, his outspokenness continues to make headlines. At the recent ‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh‘ pre-release event, Shankar’s unfiltered reply concerning veteran actor Parthiban’s casting decision instantly went viral, sparking widespread debate. What exactly did he say?
The Unchanged, Unfiltered Director
Tollywood’s ‘Cult Captain’ Harish Shankar is well-known for always speaking his mind directly. This tendency is so pronounced that even Pawan Kalyan reportedly advised him to “learn to be a little more patient” at the recent ‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’ pre-release event. Despite this, Harish Shankar remains unchanged.
As ‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’, starring Power Star Pawan Kalyan and directed by Harish Shankar, gears up for release, the director has been giving interviews to various media outlets. During one such interview, an interesting discussion arose when a journalist questioned the casting of veteran Tamil actor Parthiban in a crucial role. Harish Shankar, responding in his signature style, delivered a stunning counter-argument that has since gone viral on social media.
Responding to the journalist’s query, “Why Parthiban in the film?”, Harish Shankar emphasized, “It’s not a necessity, it’s creative freedom.” He elaborated that as a director, it is his inherent right to envision who best fits a particular character when writing a story. He cited director Sukumar’s casting of Fahadh Faasil in ‘Pushpa’ as a prime example, stating that the character’s effectiveness stemmed precisely from the director’s unique vision, and such experiments bring novelty to cinema.
Creative Freedom: Director’s Vision
Harish Shankar further clarified that in this era of digital revolution, there are no language barriers. He pointed out that when audiences are engaging with tweets from Delhi and films from Chennai, there is nothing wrong with casting an actor from a different language. He added that such characters are born from a director’s imagination, creativity, and vision. To illustrate this, he mentioned how ‘Kantara 2’ received higher ticket price hikes in Andhra Pradesh than even ‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’ currently, indicating audience acceptance extends beyond linguistic divides. “Just because we are Telugu, we don’t watch only Telugu reels, do we? We watch everything. The selection of actors is similar,” he explained.
Although the journalist attempted to probe further, Harish Shankar, displaying his characteristic straightforwardness, asserted that there was no need to ask such questions anymore, effectively ending the discussion. His comments on creative freedom and actor selection are now widely discussed.
High expectations have already been set for ‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’, marking the second collaboration between Harish Shankar and Pawan Kalyan following their success with ‘Gabbar Singh’. The film is set to hit theaters on March 19th as a Ugadi special.
Looking Ahead
Harish Shankar’s viral reply has only amplified the already sky-high anticipation for ‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’. With the ‘Gabbar Singh’ magic of Pawan Kalyan and Harish Shankar returning, a grand Ugadi treat awaits on March 19th. This powerful collaboration is primed to deliver nothing short of a massive box office roar.
