Actor and producer · Telugu cinema
Mahesh Babu
Mahesh Babu movies: 39 Telugu films on file (38 as actor, 3 as producer), 1983–2027. Earliest on file: Poratam (1983). Latest release: Guntur Kaaram (12 January 2024). Next: Varanasi (7 April 2027).
- Films on file
- 39 (38 as actor, 3 as producer)
- Years on file
- 1983–2027
- Born
- 9 August 1975 · August birthdays (Wikidata)
- Selected films on file
- 1: Nenokkadine, Pokiri, Aagadu
- Record
- Q2087610 on Wikidata
Mahesh Babu (Ghattamaneni Mahesh Babu) is an Indian actor, producer and philanthropist who works in Telugu cinema, where the media call him “Superstar” and earlier “Prince”. Wikipedia records nine Nandi Awards for him, the most for any individual, along with five Filmfare Awards South and four SIIMA Awards. His successes include Okkadu, Athadu, Pokiri, Dookudu and Srimanthudu.
He was born on 9 August 1975 in Madras (now Chennai), the younger son of actor Krishna and Indira, according to Wikipedia, citing the Deccan Chronicle, and Wikidata. He studied commerce at Loyola College, Chennai.
Career
He first appeared on screen at the age of four in Needa (1979) and acted as a child in several of his father’s films in the late 1980s. His first lead role, in K. Raghavendra Rao’s Rajakumarudu (1999), won him the Nandi Award for Best Male Debut. Krishna Vamsi’s Murari (2001) and Takkari Donga (2002) each brought a Nandi Special Jury Award.
His breakthrough came in 2003. Gunasekhar’s Okkadu won him his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu, and Teja’s Nijam his first Nandi Award for Best Actor. Trivikram Srinivas’s Athadu (2005), in which he played a hired assassin, brought a second Nandi for Best Actor. In Puri Jagannadh’s Pokiri (2006), which The Hindu said let him “reclaim the title of a star”, he won a second Filmfare award. Sainikudu (2006) and Athidhi (2007) followed before a long gap, ending with Trivikram’s Khaleja (2010).
Srinu Vaitla’s Dookudu (2011) passed ₹100 crore and was the year’s highest-grossing Telugu film, winning him Filmfare, Nandi and SIIMA Best Actor awards. Businessman (2012) followed, and Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu (2013), co-starring Venkatesh, was among the year’s top grossers. Critics rated his work in Sukumar’s 1: Nenokkadine (2014) highly. Koratala Siva’s Srimanthudu (2015), his first production through G. Mahesh Babu Entertainment, won him a fifth Filmfare Best Actor award.
Brahmotsavam (2016) underperformed. A. R. Murugadoss’s bilingual Spyder (2017) marked his Tamil debut. He played a chief minister in Bharat Ane Nenu (2018), and both it and Maharshi (2019) were commercial successes. Sarileru Neekevvaru (2020) was a major hit, and Sarkaru Vaari Paata (2022) a commercial success despite mixed reviews. Trivikram’s Guntur Kaaram (2024) was a financial failure, though his performance was praised.
Awards
- Nandi Awards: Best Male Debut (Rajakumarudu); Special Jury Awards (Murari, Takkari Donga, Arjun); Best Actor for Nijam, Athadu, Dookudu and Srimanthudu (Wikipedia winners list; Idlebrain).
- Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu for Okkadu, Pokiri, Dookudu, Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu and Srimanthudu (list).
- SIIMA Award for Best Actor – Telugu for Dookudu, Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu, Srimanthudu and Maharshi (list).
The full record is on Wikipedia’s awards page for Mahesh Babu.
Upcoming film
One upcoming film is on our records: S. S. Rajamouli’s Varanasi, with Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran, recorded for 7 April 2027. Dates move; Mahesh Babu upcoming movies is updated daily.
Where to watch his films
- Guntur Kaaram: Netflix, from 9 February 2024, per Wikipedia (OTT details)
- Sarkaru Vaari Paata: Prime Video, from 23 June 2022, per Wikipedia (OTT details)
- Sarileru Neekevvaru: Prime Video, from 1 March 2020, per Wikipedia (OTT details)
- Athadu: Aha, from Aha’s listing (OTT details)
- Okkadu and Murari: Sun NXT, per Wikipedia; no start date on file (Okkadu, Murari)
- Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu: Wikipedia names Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, Aha and ETV Win (OTT details)
Catalogues change; check the platform before you plan to watch.
Personal life
He married his Vamsi co-star Namrata Shirodkar in Mumbai on 10 February 2005 (Sify). His Mahesh Babu Foundation funds heart surgeries for children.
Sources: Wikipedia and the references it cites (linked above), Wikidata, and Tollywood Desk’s film, release and OTT records.
Mahesh Babu: quick facts
- First movie: Needa (1979), as a child, at the age of four (Wikipedia)
- First film as hero: Rajakumarudu, directed by K. Raghavendra Rao, released on 30 July 1999 according to our records (TMDB lists 28 June 1999); it won him the Nandi Award for Best Male Debut (Wikipedia)
- Production house: G. Mahesh Babu Entertainment, which produced Major (2022), the film on Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan (Wikipedia)
- Voice credits: He narrated Jalsa (2008) and Baadshah (2013), as listed on TMDB and in the table below.
More Mahesh Babu Telugu films listed on TMDB
These Telugu films credit Mahesh Babu on TMDB for narration, voice-over, production or presenting rather than acting, so they are not in the acting filmography above. The credit column is TMDB’s own listing.
| Year | Film | Credit listed on TMDB |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Jalsa | as Narrator (voice) |
| 2013 | Baadshah | as Narrator (voice) |
| 2018 | Manasuku Nachindi | as Voiceover |
| 2022 | Major | Producer |
| 2026 | Rao Bahadur | Presenter |
Career on file
Mahesh Babu has 39 Telugu films on file at Tollywood Desk, dated from 1983 to 2027: 38 films as actor and three films as producer. The earliest of them is Poratam (1983), and the most recent release is Guntur Kaaram (2024). One more film, Varanasi (2027), is dated for later. The most widely covered of these, counted by Wikipedia language editions, are 1: Nenokkadine (2014), Pokiri (2006) and Aagadu (2014). Other recent releases on file are Major (2022), Sarkaru Vaari Paata (2022) and Acharya (2022).
Prakash Raj is the most frequent co-star, sharing 16 films with Mahesh Babu, followed by Brahmanandam (11) and Kota Srinivasa Rao (8). Among directors, Krishna Ghattamaneni cast Mahesh Babu most often, in five films; next are Koratala Siva (3) and Trivikram Srinivas (3). Music on 12 of them is by Mani Sharma, with Devi Sri Prasad (5) and Raj-Koti (4) next. Padmalaya Studios produced five of them, more than any other banner on file. Across these films the credits on file name 25 different directors, 14 music directors and 116 other credited actors.
Runtime is on file for 37 of them; they average 157 minutes, and the longest is Nijam at 196 minutes. 13 of them have a streaming (OTT) release noted on the site. By decade the list splits into 1980s (6), 1990s (3), 2000s (13), 2010s (11) and 2020s (6). 2022 is the busiest single year, with three films.
Figures come from the films on file at Tollywood Desk and change as records are added.
Upcoming movies (1)
Mahesh Babu upcoming movies · All upcoming Telugu movies · Dates are those on record and can change.