Pawan Kalyan film director says “If it was an SRK film we would worry” amid Dhurandhar The Revenge clash

A high voltage box office clash is brewing as Ranveer Singh returns with the spy thriller sequel Dhurandhar: The Revenge while Pawan Kalyan gears up for the mass entertainer Ustaad Bhagat Singh. With the postponement of Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups, the two films are now set to collide at the box office during the Ugadi release window.

While fans are already debating which film will dominate theatres, director Harish Shankar appears remarkably calm about the situation. Instead of showing concern, the filmmaker has openly praised his competitor while expressing confidence that both films can coexist successfully.

Harish Shankar Praises Aditya Dhar

During a conversation with Gulte, Shankar was asked whether he felt nervous about competing with Aditya Dhar and his sequel starring Ranveer Singh.

The filmmaker responded with admiration rather than rivalry.

“With all due respect, Aditya Dhar is a superior filmmaker. I watched Uri. He is a very impactful, very influential filmmaker.”

He continued by explaining how he views the competition from a broader perspective.

“India wide films should consider Dhurandhar as competition. But we have our Telugu states for the film.”

His comments reveal a mix of respect and realism about how the two films will perform across different markets.

“If, in place of Dhurandhar, it was an SRK movie, songs, full entertainer zone, then we would have thought, ‘Oh, it’s similar to our film."

- Harish Shankar (as told to Gulte)

Why The Director Is Not Worried

Shankar also pointed out that the two projects belong to completely different cinematic spaces.

“If, in place of Dhurandhar, it was an SRK 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.”

The director believes that genre differences will allow both movies to attract their own audiences. One is a high intensity spy drama while the other leans into the mass action entertainer format that Telugu audiences love.

Because of this distinction, he feels there is little reason for either team to panic about the clash.

Release Date Was A Collective Decision

Shankar also clarified that he did not personally decide the release timing of the film. According to him, the date was finalised through discussions involving multiple stakeholders.

“It’s a collective decision. It wasn’t in my hands alone.”

He admitted that he initially had mixed feelings about the idea of a clash because of the emotional significance of the project.

“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…’”

However, he eventually accepted the strategy and expressed confidence that the audience would support both releases.

“There is space for 2 to 3 big films to work. It’s not like they won’t show any other film except Dhurandhar across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.”

Ugadi Release Turns The Clash Bigger

The situation intensified after the makers of Toxic postponed their film amid global uncertainties. With that slot suddenly available, the team behind Ustaad Bhagat Singh decided to advance their release date.

The film will now arrive in theatres on March 19 during the Ugadi festival. The project is an adaptation of the 2016 Tamil hit Theri which originally starred Vijay and was directed by Atlee.

The Telugu version also features Sreeleela and Raashii Khanna, with music by Devi Sri Prasad and Thaman S.

Meanwhile Dhurandhar: The Revenge marks the return of Ranveer Singh as the spy Hamza, also known as Jaskirat, an undercover operative navigating dangerous missions across borders. The sequel also stars R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal and Sanjay Dutt among others.

The first film turned into a massive box office phenomenon, reportedly earning around Rs 1300 crore worldwide. With expectations already sky high for the sequel, the clash with Ustaad Bhagat Singh has suddenly become one of the most talked about box office battles of the year.

Whether the spy spectacle or the mass action entertainer wins the festival race remains to be seen, but one thing is certain. The Ugadi box office is about to get extremely crowded.