Ustaad Bhagat Singh (2026)
Ustaad Bhagat Singh Review: Star Power Alone Can’t Rescue This Dated Mass Entertainer
Ustaad Bhagat Singh arrives with considerable expectations attached. It reunites Pawan Kalyan with director Harish Shankar, the pair behind 2012’s enormously popular Gabbar Singh, and it carries a reported ₹150 crore budget courtesy of Mythri Movie Makers. What it delivers, according to critics, is a frustratingly familiar experience: a film that leans almost entirely on its leading man’s magnetism while offering little in the way of fresh storytelling. Released theatrically on 19 March 2026 to coincide with Ugadi, it became Harish Shankar’s second consecutive commercial disappointment following Mr. Bachchan (2024).
The numbers paint a grim picture for a film of this scale. Against a budget of roughly ₹150 crore, Ustaad Bhagat Singh managed only around ₹95 crore at the box office, with a two-day worldwide gross of ₹65 crore and a distributors’ share of just ₹39 crore. Critically, the reception was overwhelmingly negative. Deccan Herald‘s Nikhil Waiker handed it 1 out of 5 stars, writing bluntly that “Pawan Kalyan delivers another disappointment.”
Deccan Chronicle‘s BVS Prakash rated it 1.5 out of 5, describing it as “a predictable and outdated mass entertainer that fails to capitalise on its star power. With a weak script and inconsistent execution, it struggles to leave any meaningful impact.” India Today‘s T Maruthi Acharya also awarded 1.5 out of 5, noting that it is “a routine, outdated commercial entertainer that depends almost entirely on Pawan Kalyan’s presence. It offers a few moments for fans, but very little beyond that. For those walking in for the star, it might deliver in parts. For everyone else, it feels like a film that expects you to leave too much outside the theatre before stepping in.”
The Indian Express‘s Yashaswini Sri was equally unsparing, giving it 1.5 out of 5 and writing that “the kind of film that fans will find moments to cheer in, but general audiences are likely to walk out feeling they have seen this before, and done better. The aftertaste of watching the film is rather bad.” She acknowledged that “Pawan Kalyan does what he does best, and there is genuine enjoyment in watching him work,” but concluded that “a good lead performance alone cannot carry two and a half hours when the writing is outdated, the music is underwhelming, and the supporting cast is either underused or underwritten.” For devoted fans of the star, there may be enough here to warrant a trip to the theatre. For everyone else, this is a film that struggles to justify its running time.
Ustaad Bhagat Singh Cast: Pawan Kalyan Leads a Sprawling Ensemble
The film assembles an extensive cast of Telugu cinema regulars, led by Pawan Kalyan in the titular role:
Pawan Kalyan anchors the film as ACP “Ustaad” Bhagat Singh, a former police officer turned forest guard whose violent past catches up with him. Critics were unanimous in praising his screen presence, with The Indian Express noting that “Pawan Kalyan does what he does best, and there is genuine enjoyment in watching him work.” However, they were equally unanimous that his performance alone could not compensate for the film’s shortcomings. This marks his second collaboration with director Harish Shankar after Gabbar Singh.
Raashii Khanna plays Shloka, the daughter of a wealthy industrialist who retreats to the forest to recover from a broken relationship. She reportedly signed on without reading the script, purely for the opportunity to work with Kalyan. Sreeleela appears as RJ Leela, a radio jockey who falls in love with Bhagat Singh; her character’s tragic fate drives the film’s revenge plot. R. Parthiban is the ruthless politician Chadala Marri Nalla Nagappa, the film’s primary antagonist, while K. S. Ravikumar plays CM Chandrasekhar Rao, Bhagat Singh’s father figure. Gautami plays Krishnaveni, Bhagat Singh’s adoptive mother, and Brahmanandam provides comic relief as Satyanarayana.
The supporting cast includes Mir Sarwar as the terrorist Afzal Baghdadi, Nawab Shah as Ajmal Rahim, B. S. Avinash as Miya Bhai, and Srinath Maganti as Officer Riyaz, who is revealed to be an undercover RAW agent. Rao Ramesh delivers a notable turn as Ex-Forest Officer Singaiah, Bhagat Singh’s secret ally, while Jayaprakash, Ramki, Pallavi Dora, and Prabhas Sreenu round out the ensemble.
Ustaad Bhagat Singh Plot: A Forest Guard’s Violent Reckoning
The story opens with Chandrasekhar Rao, a dedicated teacher who educates children in his community. He encounters a rebellious boy and enrols him in school. Years later, when the boy thrashes a warden for mistreating a female teacher, Chandrasekhar Rao recognises his potential and names him Ustaad Bhagat Singh. Twenty-four years on, Chandrasekhar Rao has become Chief Minister and survives an assassination attempt, while a ruthless politician named Chadala Marri Nalla Nagappa manoeuvres his way to becoming Deputy CM—revealed to be the man behind the assassinations.
Nagappa’s younger son returns from America and travels to the Nallamala forest, where his gang’s ganja shipment has gone missing. When he storms a police station and humiliates CI Kesava, Bhagat Singh—now working as a playful forest guard—intervenes, kills the entire gang, and seemingly eliminates Nagappa’s son. Meanwhile, Shloka, the daughter of a wealthy industrialist, arrives at the forest with her family, and Bhagat is assigned to ensure their comfort. It emerges that Shloka came to forget her boyfriend Gopi, and Bhagat and his friend help her move on through a series of comic incidents.
It is revealed that Bhagat Singh is the man behind the kidnapping of Nagappa’s son and is holding him captive. When Nagappa learns of this, he contacts Miya Bhai, who in turn summons Faizal, a dreaded terrorist, to locate his son. Faizal and his gang kidnap Shloka to lure Bhagat into a trap. Singaiah guides Faizal’s group to the location where Nagappa’s son is held. The terrorists secure the son and capture Bhagat. On video, Miya Bhai is shocked to discover that Bhagat is behind the operation and begs for forgiveness. As Nagappa’s younger son prepares to kill Bhagat, Singaiah intervenes and reveals himself as an ex-forest ranger, freeing Bhagat. Bhagat then kills Faizal’s gang and takes Faizal captive.
Afzal Baghdadi, Faizal’s mentor, vows vengeance. Bhagat tells Nagappa’s son that he holds a grudge against his father. Singaiah then narrates Bhagat’s past: six years earlier, a violent riot at a temple procession saw priests murdered by a gang sent by Nagappa. Bhagat Singh, then an ACP, ruthlessly killed the gang and stormed Nagappa’s house to warn him. When Nagappa’s elder son confronted him at the police station, Bhagat slashed him with a broken teacup and ordered him out. He also shot the terrorist Miya Bhai and struck a humorous deal to capture another terrorist, Asif. In the meantime, Leela, a radio jockey, fell in love with Bhagat, and after several comedic misadventures, he reciprocated. Nagappa, enraged, sent henchmen to kill Bhagat, but Bhagat killed Kashi in the bazaar and eliminated the threat.
Later, Leela’s friend Pallavi was raped by Nagappa’s son and his gang. Before succumbing to her injuries, she asked Bhagat to kill them. Bhagat stormed Nagappa’s house to arrest his son, but Nagappa used his influence to have Bhagat suspended. Enraged by the suspension and Pallavi’s assault, Bhagat killed Nagappa’s son with a knife. He proposed marriage to Leela, but on their wedding day, Leela was murdered—Afzal had carried out the killing on Nagappa’s orders. Bhagat killed Afzal’s gang and kidnapped Nagappa’s younger son to exact his revenge.
In the present, Baghdadi and his gang arrive to kill Bhagat, but Faizal is revealed to be RAW officer Riaz Khan, who eliminates Baghdadi’s gang and discloses that his team had killed corrupt ministers in the parliament building. Bhagat then kills Afzal in revenge for Leela’s death. Later, Bhagat visits Nagappa’s house and tells him his mission is complete, leaving the politician to decide his own fate. Shocked by Bhagat’s victory, Nagappa commits suicide. Chandrasekhar Rao recovers, and he and Bhagat reunite.
“Some scores can only be settled in blood.”
