India, Feb. 23 -- Actor Pawan Kalyan might have first tasted fame in the 90s, but his stardom grew exponentially after the release of Gabbar Singh in 2012. Directed by Harish Shankar, the film was an adaptation of Salman Khan's 2010 hit Dabangg and was a massive success. Pawan became so famous that the director revealed he even began scoring endorsements that would pay him as much as Shah Rukh Khan. However, he turned them down for a reason.

Harish spoke at a song launch for his and Pawan's upcoming film Ustaad Bhagat Singh. Talking about the actor-politician, he said, "He is not the kind of person who yields to money. I know this from personal experience. After Gabbar Singh, many corporate productions approached us about movies or adver...