Hyderabad, March 11 (NationPress) Telugu film director Harish Shankar publicly expressed his profound admiration for Superstar Mahesh Babu and conveyed his belief that the upcoming movie 'Varanasi' would set numerous records. On Wednesday, he extended an apology to Mahesh Babu's dedicated fans for a tweet he posted on Tuesday, clarifying that it was an inadvertent error with no intention to offend the actor or his supporters.

The controversy began when Harish Shankar, replying to fans on social media regarding his forthcoming film Ustaad Bhagat Singh, engaged with a fan's tweet suggesting that his film should surpass the records established by Mahesh Babu’s films. Without fully reading the tweet, he responded with 'Thadastu', which translates to 'So be it'. This response was met with backlash from Mahesh Babu's fans, who quickly voiced their displeasure.

Realizing his mistake just a minute after posting, the director deleted the tweet and subsequently issued a statement to clarify his position.

With his film Ustaad Bhagat Singh featuring Pawan Kalyan set to release on March 19, Harish Shankar shared, "Yesterday was incredibly hectic. I had several meetings with board officials post-Censor, visited Peddamma Temple for blessings, managed post-production tasks, finalized the song promo, and completed a promotional round before heading to Thaman's studio for the background score."

He elaborated, "In the midst of all this, I was responding to journalists, well-wishers, and fans who were appreciating the promo and sending their good wishes. In that rush, I mistakenly quoted a tweet without reading it in full. My team promptly informed me, and I realized the error, leading to its immediate deletion."

Harish continued, "I hold immense respect for Superstar Mahesh Babu garu and have always believed that he will achieve many records with 'Varanasi'. This was a mistake made without any intention to harm him or his fans. You can check my tweets from his birthday about Pokiri to see the respect I have for him."

He concluded his statement with, "If my brief oversight caused any distress, I sincerely apologize from the depths of my heart. For a film to break records, it requires the love and support of fans from all heroes and families. I possess enough common sense not to post such comments with my film set to release in just 10 days. Again, I humbly request your forgiveness for this unintentional mistake and ask for your continued support for our film. Thank you for your understanding."