‘They were worshipping Pawan Kalyan like a God’: Ustaad Bhagat Singh actor Raashii Khanna on witnessing ‘Pawanism’ first-hand

In Ustaad Bhagat Singh, Raashii Khanna plays Shloka, a modern girl with a defined arc of her own. There have been murmurs about whether her screen time might suffer, given that Sreeleela also plays a pivotal role in the film. During the press meet, Raashii addressed the speculation directly. She said, “We actually don’t have scenes together. Each character has its own space and importance. My role also has good variations.” She added that she has a mass song in the film, and that shooting it was one of the more enjoyable parts of the process given how much she loves dancing.

The more interesting part of the interaction was what Raashii Khanna said about Pawan Kalyan. She described Pawan as someone who is almost disarmingly simple in person. “He is always seen reading books,” she said, adding, “There is an innocence about him that is hard to explain.”

Also Read: ‘I forget I am a hero’: Pawan Kalyan gets emotional about Chiranjeevi; reveals how he shot Ustaad Bhagat Singh in just 45 days

Raashii then she shared a detail that cuts through the usual promotional talk. “On the first day itself, he asked me, ‘Did you always want to become an actress?’ I told him that I actually wanted to become an IAS officer.” She said he encouraged her toward public service, and that she came away from the experience having learned a great deal about humanity from him. “He speaks very little, but every word he says carries value.”

At the pre-release event, Raashii Khanna got a close look at what ‘Pawanism’ actually looks like in practice. “When I looked at his fans from the stage, it felt like they were worshipping Pawan Kalyan like a god,” she said. ‘Pawanism’ is a term coined by fans and supporters of Pawan Kalyan to describe the ideology, fan movement, and cultural following associated with him.

Raashii Khanna’s final word on Ustaad Bhagat Singh itself was a simple one. “Just like Gabbar Singh, this film will also be very entertaining. It is a family film that everyone can watch together in theatres. Most importantly, you will get to see vintage Pawan Kalyan Garu on screen.”