This year, Maruthi with The Raja Saab and Harish Shankar with Ustaad Bhagat Singh made bold statements before release, claiming they were bringing back vintage Prabhas and vintage Pawan Kalyan. They promised a feast for fans and said the films would exceed all expectations.
However, audiences rejected both films. It was surprising to see how different the actual content was compared to the directors’ statements.
The Raja Saab and Ustaad Bhagat Singh Box Office Performance
The Raja Saab ended up as one of the biggest failures in Prabhas‘s career, while Ustaad Bhagat Singh turned out to be a major disaster for Pawan Kalyan as well. Despite initial promotional hype, both films failed to connect with audiences.
At least Maruthi maintained silence after seeing audience feedback and accepted the reality of the situation.
Harish Shankar’s Response to the Failure
The shocking part is Harish Shankar — even after the film recorded lower collections than disasters like Bro: The Avatar and Hari Hara Veera Mallu, he is still projecting Ustaad Bhagat Singh as a great film and his best work.
Industry observers noted that Harish Shankar‘s refusal to acknowledge the film’s shortcomings stands in stark contrast to Maruthi‘s approach. While Maruthi quietly moved on after The Raja Saab‘s poor performance, Harish Shankar continued defending his work despite disappointing reception from audiences and critics.
Impact on Future Projects
This attitude is making people feel that Harish Shankar is still not in touch with reality like Maruthi, and this disconnect may affect his career going forward. The director’s inability to accept criticism could impact his relationships with producers and stars for future collaborations.