.png)
1 hour ago
20
3 min readHyderabadFeb 23, 2026 06:20 PM IST
Pawan Kalyan in a still from "Aura of Ustaad", the second single from Ustaad Bhagat Singh.
The second single from Pawan Kalyan‘s much anticipated film Ustaad Bhagat Singh is out, and it’s already doing exactly what it was built to do, get fans talking.
Released as a fan anthem, there’s no story being told here, no romance, no action setup. “Aura of Ustaad” exists to celebrate Pawan Kalyan, his walk, his attitude, his 25-year-old habit of touching his collar in a way that apparently drives an entire fanbase into a frenzy.
That collar gesture is actually the centrepiece of the whole thing. Director Harish Shankar has turned it into the hook: “Nenu Meda Muttukunte, Toda Kottinatte (If I touch my neck, it hits like a thigh slap.” Shankar said at the song’s launch event in Hyderabad that the line comes from an actual scene in the film. He felt the mannerism Pawan Kalyan has carried since the nineties deserved to be put into words. So he built a song around it.
“Aura of Ustaad” is composed by Devi Sri Prasad, written by Chandrabose and crooned by Vishal Dadlani. At the song launch, DSP mentioned that after hearing the track, Pawan Kalyan called him personally and talked through it for nearly ten minutes. Chandrabose, who has been writing for Pawan since the actor’s first film, called it “not just a song, this is Pawanism.”
Fans who were expecting the same instant rush as the first single “Dekh Lenge Saala” have been a bit quiet. Some say the lyrics feel familiar, and that the tune doesn’t stick right away. A few fans pointed out that songs built entirely around hero elevation tend to work better inside a packed theatre than on headphones at home, and that’s a fair observation.
On the other hand, that hook line has been everywhere since yesterday. Vishal Dadlani’s vocals hit hard, and DSP’s composition has the kind of weight that plays well on big speakers. The promo’s visuals, Pawan Kalyan walking through a marketplace in a red shirt, sunglasses on, shotgun over one shoulder, tea glasses in the other hand, have since been widely shared.
Ustaad Bhagat Singh marks the second collaboration of Pawan Kalyan and Harish Shankar. The first time was Gabbar Singh in 2012, which was one of the biggest Telugu films of that decade.
Story continues below this ad
Harish Shankar has said the film, also starring Sreeleela and Raashii Khanna, will have comedy, action, and a social message woven in. It releases worldwide on March 26.
English (US) ·