Pawan Kalyan's Ustaad Bhagat Singh Fetches Rs 120 Crore in Telugu States

The much-hyped Ustaad Bhagat Singh starring Pawan Kalyan is reportedly doing strong pre-release business in the Telugu states. If distributors are to be believed, the film has been traded for nearly Rs 120 crore across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

According to a distributor, the valuation includes Rs 60 crore from Andhra, Rs 40 crore from Nizam and Rs 20 crore from the Ceded region. “It is a good business deal. Pawan Kalyan will definitely bring huge openings, which will help the big investments to be recovered,” he said.

However, industry sources say the buzz for the cop drama is yet to pick up despite director Harish Shankar and the production house Mythri Movie Makers unveiling several promotional materials.

A distributor pointed out that Pawan Kalyan’s personal involvement in promotions could make a big difference. “He should spend one or two days promoting the film personally. Otherwise, it may be difficult to generate sensational openings. For example, OG had such openings mainly because of Pawan Kalyan’s aggressive promotions,” he said.

The film features Raashi Khanna and Sreeleela as the female leads. They are likely to participate in promotions closer to the release date.

Sources say Mythri Movie Makers have invested more than Rs 210 crore in the project and will have to recover the remaining amount through OTT and other non-theatrical rights. The film is currently slated for release on March 19.