Ghattamaneni Mahesh Babu (born 9 August 1975) is an Indian actor, producer and philanthropist, voice actor, who works in Telugu cinema. He is one of the highest-paid actors in Indian cinema and has been featured in Forbes Indias Celebrity 100 list from 2012 to 2025. Referred to in the media as the Superstar, he appeared in over 30 films and has been a recipient of several accolades including, nine Nandi Awards, five Filmfare Awards South and four SIIMA Awards.
The younger son of veteran actor Krishna, Babu made his debut as a child artist in a cameo role in a Telugu film called Needa (1979), at the age of four. He went on to act as a child artist in the films Sankharavam (1987), Bazaar Rowdy, Mugguru Kodukulu (both 1988) and Gudachari 117 (1989). He played a dual role in the film Koduku Diddina Kapuram (1989). Babu then appeared in Balachandrudu and Anna Thammudu (both 1990). He made his debut as a lead actor with Rajakumarudu (1999) which won him the Nandi Award for Best Male Debut.
Babu achieved his breakthrough with the supernatural drama Murari (2001) and the action film Okkadu (2003), winning his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu for his performance in the latter. He went on to star in other commercially successful films such as Athadu (2005), Pokiri (2006), Dookudu (2011), Businessman (2012), Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu (2013), Srimanthudu (2015), Bharat Ane Nenu (2018), Maharshi (2019) and Sarileru Neekevvaru (2020), some of which rank among the highest-grossing Telugu films of all time.
Babu established Mahesh Babu Foundation, which focuses on supporting children in need by funding life-saving congenital heart surgeries. He owns the production house G. Mahesh Babu Entertainment. He is also associated with Rainbow Hospitals as their goodwill ambassador. He entered into the film exhibition business in partnership with Asian Group in 2018, with the inauguration of the seven-screen multiplex, AMB cinemas in Hyderabad, followed by a nine-screen multiplex in Bengaluru. He is married to actress Namrata Shirodkar.
Early life and education
Ghattamaneni Mahesh Babu was born on 9 August 1975 in a Telugu family to actor Krishna and Indira in Madras, Tamil Nadu. He is the fourth of five siblings, after Ramesh Babu, Padmavathi, and Manjula, and before Priyadarsini. His family hails from Burripalem in Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh.
Babu spent his childhood mostly in Madras under the care of his maternal grandmother Durgamma and the rest of his family. He was educated at the St. Bede's Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, Chennai. He went on to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Loyola College, Chennai.
Career Early career and breakthrough (1979–2003) At the age of four, Babu visited the sets of the Telugu film Needa (1979) where its director Dasari Narayana Rao shot a few sequences of his as a part of the narrative in the presence of the former's brother Ramesh. Needa marked his debut as a child actor. In 1983, he acted in Poratam (1983) upon being requested by its director Kodi Ramakrishna. He went on to act as a child artist in the films Sankharavam (1987), Bazaar Rowdy (1988), Mugguru Kodukulu (1988) and Gudachari 117 (1989). He played a dual role in the film Koduku Diddina Kapuram (1989). Babu then appeared in Bala Chandrudu (1990), and Anna Thammudu (1990).
In 1999, Babu made his debut as a lead actor with the romantic comedy Rajakumarudu, and people began referring to him with the title Prince. For his performance, he received the Nandi Award for Best Male Debut. He starred in two films the following year – Yuvaraju and Vamsi, where he was paired opposite Namrata Shirodkar. He also starred in Krishna Vamsi Murari (2001) opposite Sonali Bendre, which he regarded as an important film in his career. For his role in Murari, he earned a Nandi Special Jury Award, in addition to his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu. A critic from Sify stated, "Both Mahesh and Sonali Bendre look charming and Mahesh is in his elements as light-hearted prankster."
In 2002, his performance in Takkari Donga landed him his second Nandi Special Jury Award. He had two film releases in 2003, the first one being Gunasekhar Okkadu co-starring Bhumika Chawla. He won his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu for his performance in the film. The other release was Nijam co-starring Rakshita. Babu received praise from critics for his performance in the film, with Vijayalaxmi of Rediff.com calling him the only reason to watch the film's second half which she termed "a routine tale of vendetta". He won his first Nandi Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film, in addition to his third nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu.
Mainstream film and commercial success (2004–2010) In 2004, Manjula produced his next film, Naani, directed by S. J. Surya co-starring Amisha Patel. While its simultaneously shot Tamil version New featuring a different cast proved to be commercially successful, Naani flopped at the box office. He received his third Nandi Special Jury Award for his performance in his next film, Arjun, directed by Gunasekhar and produced by Ramesh. The film released on 18 August 2004 and was successful at the box-office. The film was screened at the International Film Festival of India in the mainstream section. This was Keerthi Reddy's final acting performance prior to her retirement from the film industry. He chose to act in Trivikram Srinivas Athadu (2005), co-starring Trisha Krishnan, whose script had been approved back in 2002 before the production of Naani and Arjun had begun. It emerged as one of the highest-grossing films of the year. The film proved to be a major boost for Babu's career as he received his fourth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu, in addition to fetching his second Nandi Award for Best Actor for his performance in the role of a hired assassin. Idlebrain.com gave it a rating of 3.25/5 and mentioned Babu is stylish and brilliant as professional killer.Cinegoer.net gave a review stating, "True the film gives an image of a Hollywood base for the drama. Even the taking, screenplay structure and execution of scenes, less talk and more action.
He then collaborated with Puri Jagannadh in 2006 for the film Pokiri opposite Ileana D'Cruz, which was jointly produced by Jagannadh and Manjula. He received high praise for his performance, with Y. Sunita Chowdary of The Hindu opining that "Mahesh's understated performance in Pokiri allows him effortlessly to reclaim the title of a star, overshadowing his questionable career choices of late". He won his second Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu for his performance in the film. That same year, his next film, Sainikudu, was released. A critic from Rediff.com wrote that "Nonetheless, Sainikudu can be watched at least for its premise of letting the warrior in each individual surface, and the fact that it is done with the idea of motivating people to do something for their fellow humans".
The following year saw Babu acting in the film Athidhi, co-starring Amrita Rao, marking her Telugu debut. The film was produced by Babu's brother Ramesh Babu. UTV Motion Pictures acquired the film's distribution rights for 18.5 crore, which became its first Telugu film venture. Jeevi of Idlebrain.com praised the film's first half while criticising the last thirty minutes of the film. A critic from Rediff.com wrote that the film "is built up through a 'racy' screenplay which is gripping to an extent, but stretches to three long hours".
After Athidhi release, Babu took a break from films for seven months; two months later, he signed Khaleja, but the break was unintentionally extended for two years due to several delays. During this time, Babu's grandmother and his wife Namrata's parents died. Krishna was worried about Babu's career as the film's shoot was delayed for so long. The film deals with illegal-mining in India, and related environmental damage. It marks Babu's return as an actor after a three-year hiatus in his second collaboration with Trivikram after Athadu. Upon release, Khaleja received positive reviews from critics but was a commercial failure in India. However, it managed to perform well at the overseas box office becoming the highest grossing Telugu film at that time. Rediff gave a 3 out of 5 rating and noted "The duo of Mahesh-Trivikram delivers a product that is watchable, entertaining with good humour, couple of well-orchestrated action sequences and songs and with a bit to take home as well. It's Mahesh's show all the way, much to the delight of his fans. Mahesh is the soul of the movie, be it his dialogue delivery, his action, his dances or emotions, he is effortless. The film is included in the list of "25 Greatest Telugu Films Of The Decade" by Film Companion.
Established actor and stardom (2011–2017) In 2011, Babu collaborated with Srinu Vaitla for the film Dookudu opposite Samantha Ruth Prabhu. For his performance in the film, Babu won his third Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu, his third Nandi Award for Best Actor, and his first SIIMA Award for Best Actor (Telugu). After the film's gross crossed the 100 crore mark making it the highest-grossing Telugu film of that year. The Income Tax Department officials conducted a raid on Babu's Jubilee Hills residence as he was rumoured of receiving a remuneration of more than 12 crore for his next projects.
He later played the role of a mafia kingpin with a hidden personal agenda in the film Businessman (2012), co-starring Kajal Aggarwal. Upon the film's release, he received praise from critics for his performance in the film, with Y. Sunita Chowdary of The Hindu writing, "The film has no frills, no vulgar wastage and the hero is practically in every frame; you hear only his voice, he looks good, sounds good, he also steals the comedian's job. Mahesh plays it straight". He received his seventh nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu and his second nomination for the SIIMA Award for Best Actor (Telugu) for his performance in the film. By then, Babu was reported to be the second highest-paid actor in South India after Rajinikanth.
Babu then began filming for Srikanth Addala Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu (2013), whose script Babu had approved during the pre-production phase of Dookudu. Co-starring Daggubati Venkatesh along with Anjali and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, it became the first Telugu multistarrer film to be produced in the last twenty-five years. Released in January 2013, the film became one of the highest grossing Telugu films of the year and marked the completion of Babu's hat-trick of successful films. Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu called the film a "delightful family drama with its celebration of family bonds, love and marriage laced with laughter", and Addala "wants to leave his audience with a thought, wants them to reflect on their relationships and overlook skirmishes that can sour family bonds". Dundoo cited Guhan's cinematography as one of the film's highlights, and praised its performances. He won his fourth Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu and his second SIIMA Award for Best Actor (Telugu) for his performance in the film. He provided a voice-over for Srinu Vaitla's Baadshah the same year.
Babu had two releases in 2014, the first one being Sukumar 1: Nenokkadine, an action thriller focusing on a celebrity suffering from hallucinations related to the murder of his parents and the discovery of a special variety of rice. Babu's performance received praise, with critics calling it one of his best performances. For his performance, he received his fourth nomination for the SIIMA Award for Best Actor (Telugu).