The troubled relationship between Mythri Movie Makers and composer Devi Sri Prasad has taken its most definitive turn yet. According to reports, DSP’s background score for Ustaad Bhagat Singh — the Pawan Kalyan starrer directed by Harish Shankar — has been scrapped entirely, with Thaman S brought in to compose the full BGM for the film ahead of its March 26, 2026 release. It is the third major Mythri production in a row where DSP has lost the background score to another composer, and the pattern is now too consistent to be coincidental.
What Is the Mythri-DSP Cold War About?
At the heart of the Mythri-DSP friction is a recurring complaint from the production house — that Devi Sri Prasad does not deliver background scores on time. DSP himself addressed this tension publicly, taking a dig at Mythri producer Ravi Shankar on stage at a film event, saying: “Producer Ravi sir, you’ve been blaming me, saying I didn’t deliver the songs or background score on time.” The remark, delivered with characteristic DSP humour, nonetheless confirmed the existence of a real working dispute that had been simmering for years.
Mythri Movie Makers has maintained publicly that there are no disputes and that they plan to collaborate with DSP in the future. But the ground reality — three back-to-back replacements across three of their biggest productions — tells a different story.
How Did It Start With Good Bad Ugly?
The first major sign of friction came with Good Bad Ugly, the Ajith Kumar action film. DSP was the initial music director for the project and composed the songs. However, when it came to the background score, GV Prakash Kumar was brought in as a replacement. GVP confirmed his involvement by responding to a fan’s post on X with fire emojis — a subtle but clear acknowledgement that the BGM baton had been passed. Good Bad Ugly released on April 10, 2025, with GVP’s background score intact.
What Happened in Pushpa 2: The Rule?
The pattern continued with Pushpa 2: The Rule, the Allu Arjun blockbuster that became one of the highest-grossing Indian films ever. DSP composed the film’s songs — including the massive chartbuster Pushpa Pushpa — but the background score was reportedly divided. Sam CS was brought in as the primary BGM composer, with Thaman S and Ajaneesh Lokanath contributing to specific sequences. The official credits reflected this multi-composer arrangement, which was widely seen as a continuation of Mythri’s unease with DSP on the BGM front.
What Is Happening With Ustaad Bhagat Singh?
With Ustaad Bhagat Singh, the situation has escalated to its most complete form yet. DSP was the music director for the film — and notably, reports from earlier in the production showed him pulling midnight sessions to deliver the music on time. He was present at the film’s promotional events and actively involved in the musical output. But as the film enters its final pre-release phase ahead of the March 26 theatrical date, reports confirm that DSP’s BGM has been scrapped entirely and Thaman S has been brought on board to score the background music for the whole film.
Unlike Good Bad Ugly — where GVP replaced DSP — or Pushpa 2 — where the BGM work was shared — Ustaad Bhagat Singh represents Mythri going all the way with a full replacement in the final stretch. The timing, just weeks before the film’s release, makes it among the most dramatic last-minute composer switches in recent Telugu cinema.
What Does This Mean for DSP and Mythri Going Forward?
The three-film pattern — Good Bad Ugly (GVP replaces), Pushpa 2 (Sam CS and Thaman share BGM), Ustaad Bhagat Singh (Thaman replaces entirely) — suggests a structural breakdown in the Mythri-DSP working relationship despite public statements of goodwill. For DSP, who remains one of Telugu cinema’s most celebrated composers with a decades-long track record, the recurring replacements by Mythri are a visible dent in an otherwise untouchable reputation. For Mythri, the consistent resort to replacement composers indicates that the delivery timeline issue has not been resolved through conversation — only circumvented through substitution. Whether the two sides find a way to reset this relationship after Ustaad Bhagat Singh remains the question that Tollywood is watching closely.