Harish Shankar is facing heavy backlash after the failure of Ustaad Bhagat Singh, starring Pawan Kalyan. The film has turned into a box office disaster, and a section of the audience is openly blaming the director.
One particular scene has become a major trolling point. In a podcast, Harish Shankar responded to the backlash and made his stance clear. He said he takes creative freedom while filming and does not worry about logical continuity.
He also addressed why his interviews sound more intellectual than his films. Harish revealed that he consumes global content, including films by Christopher Nolan, K pop, Korean dramas, and English literature. But he chooses not to reflect that complexity in his films.
“I don’t make films to showcase my intelligence. My audience is the common man, people who drive autos, trucks, or work stressful jobs. They come to theatres to relax, enjoy dialogues, songs, and heroism. I make films for them,” he said.
He added that middle class audiences often look for emotional release in cinema, and he designs his films around that mindset rather than intellectual depth.
However, these statements have not gone down well. Clips from the podcast are now viral, and many feel Harish Shankar is out of touch. The problem is straightforward. Audiences today are far more aware and exposed to global content than before. Filmmakers now have to match that level and push boundaries.
Films like Dhurandhar 2 show that even B and C center Telugu audiences are ready to accept layered, well-made cinema. In that context, many feel Harish Shankar is underestimating and even insulting the audience by assuming they only want simple, loud commercial films.
He appears to have misunderstood the evolving IQ, taste, and awareness of the Telugu audience. This perception is one of the main reasons why netizens are trolling him heavily on social media. The problem is not just one film, but a mindset that has not evolved with the audience.
