Harish apologises to Mahesh fans

Stating that he had immense respect for Superstar Mahesh Babu and that he had always believed that many records would be created by his upcoming film 'Varanasi', Telugu film director Harish Shankar on Wednesday apologised to actor Mahesh Babu's fans for a tweet that he had quoted on Tuesday and clarified that it was an unintentional mistake with absolutely no intention to hurt Mahesh Babu or his fans.

The issue started on Tuesday when director Harish Shankar, who was responding to fans on social media platforms about his upcoming film Ustaad Bhagat Singh, responded to a fan's tweet that urged his film to overtake records set by Mahesh Babu's films. Quoting the tweet without reading it completely, he said 'Thadastu' which when translated means 'So be it'. The tweet did not go down well with fans of Mahesh Babu, who were quick to express their dissatisfaction.

However, within a minute of posting it, the director realised he had committed a mistake and immediately deleted it. He later followed it up by issuing a statement in which he apologised for his faux pas.

Harish Shankar, whose upcoming film Ustaad Bhagat Singh featuring Pawan Kalyan in the lead is gearing up for release on March 19, said in his statement, "Yesterday was a very busy day. I had a meeting with the board officials after the Censor, visited Peddamma Temple to seek blessings, took care of post-production work, did the final checks for the song promo, and also completed a round of promotions before heading to Thaman's studio for the background score."

The director went on to explain, "During this time, I was also replying to journalists, well-wishers, and fans who appreciated the promo and were sending their wishes. In that rush, I only partially read a tweet and quoted it unintentionally. Within a minute, my team alerted me and asked me to read the tweet completely. I immediately realized the mistake and deleted it."

He then went on to say, "I have immense respect for Superstar Mahesh Babu garu. In fact, I have always believed that many records will be created under his name with 'Varanasi'. This was an unintentional mistake with absolutely no intention to hurt him or his fans. You can even check the tweets I posted on his birthday about Pokiri to understand the love and respect I have for him."

"However, if that brief moment caused any hurt to people's feelings, I sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart. For a film to create records, it needs the love and support of fans from all heroes and families alike. I have enough common sense not to post such things when my film is releasing in just 10 days. Once again, please accept my sincere apologies for this unintentional mistake and continue to support our film. Thank you for your understanding," he said.