Kamal Ghorui
The newly released action flick ‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’ starring Pawan Kalyan has reportedly fallen prey to piracy within hours of its theatrical release. The action-comedy entertainer directed by Harish Shankar hit theatres on March 19, 2026, as a festive Ugadi release.
Piracy setback and court protection against trolls
Filmibeat reports say that ‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’ surfaced on multiple piracy platforms shortly after release. The piracy issue comes even as the film reportedly obtained legal protection ahead of its release. As reported by The Statesman, a court issued an ex-parte temporary injunction to safeguard ‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’ from harmful online content.The order which is backed by a ‘John Doe’ clause restricts anonymous individuals and platforms from spreading defamatory or misleading material. The producers had approached the court and cited concerns that such content could damage the film’s reputation and business prospects.
Mixed reviews flood social media
Alongside the piracy controversy ‘Ustaad Bhagat Singh’ has been receiving mixed reactions from audiences.One review read, “#UstaadBhagatSingh A Completely Outdated Commercial Entertainer! A commercial film like this doesn’t necessarily need out of the box writing, but it atleast needs some freshness. This one feels outdated to the core from the start to end. A few elevation blocks work, but the film lacks flow, feeling like a stitched together compilation of commercial scenes. Harish Shankar falters on both comedy and commercial writing. Thaman tries to elevate with his BGM but has little scope. PK tries in parts, but this one misses his trademark energy. Boring! Rating: 2/5.”Another viewer wrote, “#Ustaadbhagatsingh My rating 2/5 Below average movie.”
Praise for Pawan Kalyan’s screen presence
Despite criticism, several viewers praised Pawan Kalyan for his screen presence and performance.One tweet noted, “#UstaadBhagatSingh – PK’s look, Screen presence & Dialogues r the positives in this Routine, Outdated Drama. Parthiban Naidu as weak villain. Sreeleela ok. Raashi Khanna has no scope. Thaman does a Anirudh work in BGM. One melody track nice. Narration is a Patience Tester. BORE!.”Another review added, “#UstaadBhagatSingh Pawankalyan’s childhood portions were very well written Entry worked out well Dialouges are too good. 1st half is going very well Sorry @harish2you thakuva anchana vesinamduku.”
Humour and mass moments get divided response
The film’s humour and mass appeal sequences have also drawn mixed reactions.One viewer wrote, “Humor that plays on Pawan Kalyan’s limited dancing abilities lands effectively. Pawan Kalyan performing popular songs in his own style was absolutely hilarious.” Another highlighted a key scene, stating, “Police station sequence started off second half with a bang PK’s aggression.”On the other hand, Sacnilk website’s early reports say that the Pawan Kalyan starrer has opened with more than Rs 9 crores at the box office.
