‘I forget I am a hero’: Pawan Kalyan gets emotional about Chiranjeevi; reveals how he shot Ustaad Bhagat Singh in just 45 days

Pawan Kalyanwalked onto the stage at the Ustaad Bhagat Singh pre-release event on Sunday and said something that cut through all the promotional noise around the film.

“Cinema is what fed me and gave me recognition to serve the people today,” he told the crowd.

“That is why I always wish my producers to prosper and my fans to feel happy.”
It was a line that carried weight coming from him specifically, given where he has been for the last two years.

He is the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and handles four ministerial portfolios.

And on Thursday, four days from now, he has a film releasing for Ugadi.

Ustad Bhagat Singh has been in production for almost five years and has undergone multiple changes since then.

Addressing the fans who had turned up in large numbers, as well as those watching the event live, Kalyan was candid about everything: the delays, the changed story, the pandemic, the politics, and how the film finally got made.

“This is the film I have done with Harish Shankar after Gabbar Singh,” he said.

“Initially we planned a different story, but later it changed.

Then the pandemic happened.

In between, I entered politics and took on public responsibilities.”
What he said next is likely to be quoted widely before release.

“Despite all that, without affecting my duties, we completed this film in a very short time, within 40 to 45 days.

I worked only about five to six hours a day.

Harish planned the schedule brilliantly.

Ustaad Bhagat Singh gave me the confidence that I can continue doing films.”
He was openly emotional about his family’s role in the film’s reception so far.

“I am very happy that my brother Chiranjeevi watched the Ustaad Bhagat Singh trailer and tweeted about it,” he said.

“For me, there is only one hero, Megastar Chiranjeevi.

When I stand beside him, I forget that I am a hero myself.” He also thanked Ram Charan for his tweet.

Also Read:How Pawan Kalyan silenced every political critic and why Ustaad Bhagat Singh is his most loaded release yet
He added, “The reason this film has turned out so well is Harish Shankar.

If one among the fans becomes a director, that is Harish Shankar.

A filmmaker born from the soil of Telangana.

He made this film with immense passion to present me the way fans love.

From the bottom of my heart, hats off to Harish Shankar.”
He praised Sreeleela, calling the role memorable in her career, and thanked Raashii Khanna for coming on board without even hearing the full story.

Director Harish Shankar, speaking after Kalyan, gave the most detailed account yet of why the film took the time it did.

“The delay happened because of me, and the quick completion also happened because of me,” he said.

He revealed that the original concept was a love story set in a college, a spiritual successor to Khushi, about two students separated by ego who later reunite as lecturers at the same institution.

That story was eventually dropped.

He had a specific moment to share about Pawan Kalyan’s role in keeping the project alive.

“During the COVID period when I was mentally low, my god Pawan Kalyan called me and asked me to plan the shoot.

From then on, we worked with great enthusiasm.

He ran, and made all of us run along with him.”
On the release timing, he was direct: “At the request of distributors and exhibitors, we are releasing the film for Ugadi.

This Ugadi will be Ustaad Ugadi.”
Sreeleela spoke about what she took away from being on set with Pawan Kalyan.

“I learned positivity, awareness about the world, and love for nature from him,” she said.

She pushed back on the idea that the conversation around him should be limited to the star.

“He is not only a Power Star but also a People’s Star,” she said, adding that even on sets in Tamil and Kannada, people asked about him.

“It is good for cinema that Pawan Kalyan continues doing films.”
Raashii Khanna, who took the role without hearing the full story, said Sunday what she had always wanted.

“I always wished to act with Pawan Kalyan from the beginning of my career.

That dream came true with Ustaad Bhagat Singh.” She also backed the film’s potential directly: “I believe this film will recreate the magic of Gabbar Singh.”
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