New Delhi: Telugu superstar Pawan Kalyan’s Ustaad Bhagat Singh is heading for a direct box office clash with the Aditya Dhar directorial Dhurandhar: The Revenge. The Ugadi release, backed by Mythri Movie Makers, is sticking to its schedule even as the craze over the Ranveer Singh starrer sweeps theatres across India with sold-out paid previews and surging advance bookings, one of the film’s producers said at a press meet in Hyderabad.
Producer Naveen Yerneni said that the team had no illusions about the scale of the competition.
“We never underestimated Dhurandhar 2. I watched Part 1 three times. It’s a storm. At the request of distributors, we preponed Ustaad Bhagat Singh,” said Yerneni, one of the founders of Mythri Movie Makers, which has produced Pushpa franchise (2021-25), Good Bad Ugly (2025) and Dear Comrade (2019).
Ustaad Bhagat Singh is an action comedy directed by Harish Shankar and starring Pawan Kalyan in the titular role. It features Sreeleela, Raashii Khanna, R Parthiban and Ashutosh Rana in supporting roles. The film’s release is scheduled to coincide with Ugadi, the Kannada and Telugu New Year, celebrated across Telangana, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Another big-ticket release, Yash’s film, Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown Ups, was originally slated for the same date. But on 4 March, the actor-producer shared a statement from the film’s makers on his Instagram announcing its delay.
“After years of dedicated labour, we were excited to share our film with you all on the 19th of March. However, the current uncertainty, especially in the Middle East, has created a situation that impacts our goal to reach and connect with the widest possible audience. Therefore, in the interest of our partners and our audience, we have made the difficult but carefully considered decision to reschedule our release,” read the statement. The new release date shared in the statement is 4 June 2026.
Also read: Dhurandhar’s Bangkok shoot shows there is no Ease of Filming in Mumbai for Bollywood
What do the numbers say
As per Andhra Box Office, the all-India advance booking for Kalyan’s film has made Rs 15.19 crore, with 39.31 per cent occupancy, and the worldwide advance booking has crossed Rs 19 crore.
The advance booking has amounted to Rs 4.86 crore in Andhra Pradesh and Rs 2.69 crore in Telangana.
Dhurandhar 2, unlike its prequel, is simultaneously being released in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam, along with Hindi.
Dhurandhar 2 has made Rs 95.37 lakhs in Andhra Pradesh and Rs 2.9 crores in Telangana in advance booking numbers.
But earlier on Wednesday, Tamil and Telugu shows were cancelled across various locations due to technical issues.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)