I can’t wait to shoot with Pawan Kalyan again: Harish Shankar

It’s been over a year since Harish Shankar directed a film. Varun Tej’s Gaddalakonda Ganesh was his last release and it will be another year before he will direct his next, which will be Pawan Kalyan’s 28th film. But the filmmaker’s excitement about teaming up with his childhood idol knows no bounds. “It’s been eight years since I’ve been on sets with the Power Star. Usually film sets are bustling with activity with over 200 people working simultaneously. But the moment he walks in, there’s pin drop silence. His aura is such. I’m eagerly waiting for the day when we get back on the sets together and I can experience that silence again,” says Harish who set the box office on fire with Gabbar Singh, a remake of Salman Khan’s Dabangg back in 2012.

Harish promises that his film will be more than just a mass masala entertainer. In fact, the tagline of the film says as much: ‘This time it’s not just entertainment’. The film’s first look poster, showcasing a mean cruiser parked in the backdrop of India Gate, hit all the right notes. On the driver’s seat rests a red rose placed under the Pedda Bala Siksha, an encyclopedia of Telugu language. Is the film a ploy to push PK’s political agenda, we wonder aloud? “It’s going to be a surprise,” is all Harish is willing to say. “The pre-production work has recently begun. Power Star has to wrap up two films before we start shooting. I’m afraid it is too early to talk about it,” he adds.

Harish says his script will catch everyone unaware. “I’ve worked hard on it and the aim is to give his fans a bang for their buck. I’ve used the time during the lockdown to read and watch a lot of content. I’m confident that it will do justice to mycombo with Pawan Kalyan and the eight-year-long wait will be worth it,” he says, signing off.