‘They were worshipping Pawan Kalyan like a God’: Ustaad Bhagat Singh actor Raashii Khanna on witnessing ‘Pawanism’ first

Raashii Khannadid not need to hear the story.

The moment she found out Ustaad Bhagat Singh starred Pawan Kalyan in the lead, she said yes.

“To be honest, the moment I heard that it (Ustaad Bhagat Singh) was Pawan Kalyan Garu’s film, I immediately said yes with great excitement, even before listening to the story,” she said during a media interaction ahead of Ustaad Bhagat Singh’s release this Thursday.

“Ever since I did my first film, I had heard a lot about his stardom and the phenomenon called Pawanism.

From then on, I wished to act with him at least once.

With Ustaad Bhagat Singh, that dream has come true.”
In Ustaad Bhagat Singh, Raashii Khanna plays Shloka, a modern girl with a defined arc of her own.

There have been murmurs about whether her screen time might suffer, given that Sreeleela also plays a pivotal role in the film.

During the press meet, Raashii addressed the speculation directly.

She said, “We actually don’t have scenes together.

Each character has its own space and importance.

My role also has good variations.” She added that she has a mass song in the film, and that shooting it was one of the more enjoyable parts of the process given how much she loves dancing.

The more interesting part of the interaction was what Raashii Khanna said about Pawan Kalyan.

She described Pawan as someone who is almost disarmingly simple in person.

“He is always seen reading books,” she said, adding, “There is an innocence about him that is hard to explain.”
Also Read:‘I forget I am a hero’: Pawan Kalyan gets emotional about Chiranjeevi; reveals how he shot Ustaad Bhagat Singh in just 45 days
Raashii then she shared a detail that cuts through the usual promotional talk.

“On the first day itself, he asked me, ‘Did you always want to become an actress?’ I told him that I actually wanted to become an IAS officer.” She said he encouraged her toward public service, and that she came away from the experience having learned a great deal about humanity from him.

“He speaks very little, but every word he says carries value.”
At the pre-release event, Raashii Khanna got a close look at what ‘Pawanism’ actually looks like in practice.

“When I looked at his fans from the stage, it felt like they were worshipping Pawan Kalyan like a god,” she said.

‘Pawanism’ is a term coined by fans and supporters of Pawan Kalyan to describe the ideology, fan movement, and cultural following associated with him.

Raashii Khanna’s final word on Ustaad Bhagat Singh itself was a simple one.

“Just like Gabbar Singh, this film will also be very entertaining.

It is a family film that everyone can watch together in theatres.

Most importantly, you will get to see vintage Pawan Kalyan Garu on screen.”
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