As the cinematic calendar for 2026 shifts, a massive box office battle is brewing this March. After the postponement of the film Toxic, Pawan Kalyan’s Ustaad Bhagat Singh has moved up its release to occupy the vacant slot. This move sets the stage for a high-stakes clash with Ranveer Singh’s spy thriller, Dhurandhar 2.
Both films are now set to hit screens on March 19 to coincide with the Ugadi festival, with paid previews starting on the evening of March 18. While fans are buzzing about the competition, Ustaad Bhagat Singh director Harish Shankar remains composed and respectful of his peers.
In a recent interview with Gulte, Shankar addressed the upcoming battle, clarifying that the release timing was a group effort. He said, “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.”
Shankar was quick to praise Dhurandhar 2 director Aditya Dhar, mentioning the differences between their projects. He explained, “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.
Ustaad Bhagat Singh, an adaptation of Atlee’s 2016 hit Theri, stars Pawan Kalyan alongside Sreeleela and Raashii Khanna. On the other side, Dhurandhar 2 sees Ranveer Singh returning as the Indian spy Hamza, after the massive ₹1300 crore success of the first part. Despite the competition, Shankar expressed complete confidence in Pawan Kalyan’s stardom, saying that the team didn’t panic even when the schedule changed.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: filmfare.com
