Super Star Mahesh Babu stirred a hornet nest when during the promotions of Adivi Sesh's Major, said “I don’t know if I’d sound arrogant. I did get a lot of offers from Hindi. But, the simple thing is I don’t think they can afford me. I can’t waste my time. The kind of respect I get here. The kind of stardom I get here. I never really thought of leaving my industry and going to another. I always thought when you do films here it will become bigger. My belief is becoming true now. I can’t be happier,”
Many in Bollywood, branded Mahesh Babu as arrogant, just as how south media branded John Abraham, Ajay Devgn,Abhishek Bachchan, and Nawazuddin Siddique arrogant when they said they don't want to star in south films. Bollywood celebrities reacted on the entire issue. Mukesh Bhatt said “If Bollywood can’t afford his price, then very good. I wish him all the best. I respect where he comes from. He has talent and he has an ‘X’ value for the talent that he has generated over the years. He is a very successful actor and keeping to his requisite of what he wants to get in terms of gratification of our films, if Bollywood cannot work to his expectations, then there is nothing wrong with it. I wish him all the best. Each one to its own.”
Boney Kapoor said "I can't comment on this because I belong to both sides, Bollywood and South. I have done films in Tamil, and Telugu and soon will be doing a Malayalam and a Kanada film. So I am not the right person to comment on this. Also, Mahesh has the right to say whatever he feels and he probably feels the Hindi film industry may not be able to afford him. He may have his own reasons for saying this. To each is his own opinion who are we to comment? I am the last person to comment on this. If he feels that way, it is good for him."
Maverick Director Ram Gopal Varma entered the controversy and shared his views. He said “An individual movie company or a production house will ask you to do a film at a particular cost, so how can he generalize Bollywood, I don’t understand that. Bollywood is not a company, so his context is not understood.” While responding to India Today, Varma told he didn’t understand Mahesh’s “Bollywood can’t afford me statement.” He added “I am still unable to figure out what he meant by that because the point is, if you see the recent South Indian films, they were dubbed and released and they made whatever money they did.”