# Mahesh Babu (మహేష్ బాబు)
**Mahesh Babu** (మహేష్ బాబు), full name Ghattamaneni Mahesh Babu, is an Indian actor, producer, media personality, and philanthropist who works mainly in [Telugu cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/telugu-cinema), known in the media and by his fans as "Superstar".[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/) Born in 1975 in Madras (now Chennai) as the son of the veteran Telugu actor Krishna, he began as a child artist in the late 1970s and rose through a series of commercial successes to become one of the most popular and one of the highest-paid Indian film actors.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/) • [2](https://aanaadu.com/story/mahesh-babu/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1975, Madras (now Chennai), India, to actor Krishna and Indira[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/) |
| Screen debut | Child artist at age four in a cameo in *Needa* (1979), followed by eight other films as a child artist[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/) |
| Lead debut | *Rajakumarudu* (1999), which won him the Nandi Award for Best Male Debut[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/) |
| Landmark films | *Murari* (2001) and *Okkadu* (2003) were his breakthrough; *Pokiri* (2006) held the record of being the highest-grossing Telugu film[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/) |
| Milestones | *Maharshi* (2019), his 25th film as a lead, won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film; in 2019 he became the second Telugu actor with a wax figure at Madame Tussauds, after Prabhas[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/) • [2](https://aanaadu.com/story/mahesh-babu/) • [13](https://www.madametussauds.com/singapore/information/latest-news/mahesh-babu-unveils-his-unique-wax-figure-in-hyderabad/) |
| Awards | Seven Nandi Awards, five Filmfare Awards, three CineMAA Awards, three SIIMA Awards, and one IIFA award; IMDb lists 21 wins and 15 nominations[3](https://indianexpress.com/about/mahesh-babu/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/awards/) |
| Business and charity | Owner of the production house G. Mahesh Babu Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.; co-runs the charitable trust Heal A Child and the Mahesh Babu Foundation; co-venture AMB Cinemas[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/) • [5](https://www.todaystraveller.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Collector-Issue-2025.pdf) |
| Current project | Stars as Rudhra in S.S. Rajamouli's *Varanasi*, slated for release on April 7, 2027[6](https://apnews.com/article/17b96848fbd8a5551ca7066d75c227af) |
## Early life and education
Mahesh Babu was born in 1975 in Madras, where the Telugu film industry was then based, to the actor Krishna and his wife Indira.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/) He is the fourth of the couple's five children, and the family hails from Burripalem in [Guntur district](https://www.edgepedia.org/guntur-district), [Andhra Pradesh](https://www.edgepedia.org/andhra-pradesh).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/) He was educated at St. Bede's Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School in Chennai and earned a bachelor's degree in commerce from [Loyola College, Chennai](https://www.edgepedia.org/loyola-college-chennai).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/)
Because of his father's profession, much of his childhood was spent around film sets, and he appeared on screen as a child artist alongside Krishna.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/)
## Child artist and lead debut
Mahesh Babu made his screen debut at the age of four with a cameo in *Needa* (1979) and acted in eight other films as a child artist.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/) The Telugu-language biographical timeline records that in 1991, still in his teens, he played the principal role in *Balachandrudu*.[2](https://aanaadu.com/story/mahesh-babu/)
His debut as a lead actor came with *Rajakumarudu* (1999), directed by [K. Raghavendra Rao](https://www.edgepedia.org/k-raghavendra-rao), which won him the Nandi Award for Best Male Debut, the state award for new actors.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/) • [2](https://aanaadu.com/story/mahesh-babu/)
## Breakthrough and stardom
**From breakthrough to industry records.** The supernatural drama *Murari* (2001), directed by Krishna Vamsi, gave him his first major success and connected him with family and mass audiences.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/) • [2](https://aanaadu.com/story/mahesh-babu/) The action film *Okkadu* (2003) consolidated his standing, and his performance in *Nijam* (2003) brought his first Nandi Award for Best Actor.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/) • [2](https://aanaadu.com/story/mahesh-babu/)
A run of commercially successful films followed: *[Arjun](https://www.edgepedia.org/arjun-2004-film)* (2004), *Athadu* (2005), *Pokiri* (2006), *Dookudu* (2011), *Businessman* (2012), *Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu* (2013), *Srimanthudu* (2015), *Bharat Ane Nenu* (2018), *Maharshi* (2019), *Sarileru Neekevvaru* (2020), and *Sarkaru Vaari Paata* (2022).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/) *Pokiri*, directed by [Puri Jagannadh](https://www.edgepedia.org/puri-jagannadh), held the record of being the highest-grossing Telugu film.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/) *Sarileru Neekevvaru*, released on January 11, 2020, was a major box-office success, and *Maharshi*, his 25th film as a lead actor, won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film.[2](https://aanaadu.com/story/mahesh-babu/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/) In 2019 he became the second Telugu actor, after Prabhas, to receive a wax figure at [Madame Tussauds](https://www.edgepedia.org/madame-tussauds), and his likeness was the first Tollywood figure at Madame Tussauds Singapore.[2](https://aanaadu.com/story/mahesh-babu/) • [13](https://www.madametussauds.com/singapore/information/latest-news/mahesh-babu-unveils-his-unique-wax-figure-in-hyderabad/)
His acting style is frequently described in commentary as restrained, relying on controlled expressions, pauses, and stillness rather than exaggerated heroics; he has said that he tries to stay in sync with the vision of each film's director.[7](https://newstopup.com/mahesh-babu-career-journey/)
## Production and business
Mahesh Babu owns the production house G. Mahesh Babu Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., which he started to give his films' producers a free hand on scale and quality without compromise.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/) In 2022 he stepped into the producer's chair for *Major*, a bilingual film that achieved both critical acclaim and box-office success.[5](https://www.todaystraveller.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Collector-Issue-2025.pdf) His business ventures include AMB Cinemas, a multiplex in [Hyderabad](https://www.edgepedia.org/hyderabad) opened with his partnership, and he has appeared on Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2012.[5](https://www.todaystraveller.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Collector-Issue-2025.pdf) A career roundup counts him as brand ambassador for 30 brands.[8](https://www.telugubulletin.com/telugu/maheshbabu-career-21-years-roundup-48620)
## Philanthropy
Mahesh Babu co-runs the charitable trust and non-profit organization Heal A Child and gives 30 percent of his annual income to charities, with most of his philanthropic activity kept unpublicized by his own preference.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/) Through the Mahesh Babu Foundation he provides support for heart surgeries for poor children, and the foundation also documents initiatives in children's healthcare, education, and village development.[2](https://aanaadu.com/story/mahesh-babu/) • [7](https://newstopup.com/mahesh-babu-career-journey/) IMDb's biography notes that he contributed extensively to the Andhra Chief Minister's relief fund.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/)
## Family
He married the actress Namrata Shirodkar.[3](https://indianexpress.com/about/mahesh-babu/) His elder brother, the actor-producer Ghattamaneni Ramesh Babu, died on January 8, 2022.[2](https://aanaadu.com/story/mahesh-babu/)
## Varanasi and current work
Mahesh Babu's first collaboration with director S.S. Rajamouli is the globetrotting adventure film *[Varanasi](https://www.edgepedia.org/varanasi-film)*, headlined by him alongside Priyanka Chopra Jonas and [Prithviraj Sukumaran](https://www.edgepedia.org/prithviraj-sukumaran).[6](https://apnews.com/article/17b96848fbd8a5551ca7066d75c227af) At the film's November 2025 title unveiling in Hyderabad's Ramoji Film City, he appeared as the fierce warrior Rudhra, riding a mechanical white bull with a trident in hand, and called it "a once-in-a-lifetime project".[6](https://apnews.com/article/17b96848fbd8a5551ca7066d75c227af) The film is one of the most expensive ever made in India and one of the first made for IMAX, and it is scheduled for release on April 7, 2027.[9](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/ss-rajamouli-shares-words-james-cameron-india-first-imax-films-varanasi)
The role required an unusually rigorous physical preparation. Rajamouli wanted the bearing of a figure resembling Lord Ram, so Mahesh Babu trained for about three months in [Kalaripayattu](https://www.edgepedia.org/kalaripayattu), the martial art from Kerala, and spent six months training with a professional track-and-field team to change his running style, work that will appear in only a couple of shots.[10](https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/movies/regional-cinema/story/mahesh-babu-rigorous-training-ss-rajamouli-direction-varanasi-role-2862823-2026-02-04) • [11](https://www.easterneye.biz/kerala-kalaripayattu-mahesh-babu-varanasi/) In September 2026, after completing his shooting portions in Georgia and elsewhere, he was seen back in his clean-shaven off-screen look for the first time in about a year and a half, with the film's post-production under way.[12](https://www.sakshipost.com/news/entertainment/mahesh-babu-spotted-clean-shaven-look-after-varanasi-shoot-482417)
## References
1. [Mahesh Babu (I), IMDb biography](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/)
2. [మహేష్ బాబు జీవిత చరిత్ర — తేదీల వారీగా, ఆనాడు](https://aanaadu.com/story/mahesh-babu/)
3. [Mahesh Babu, The Indian Express topic page](https://indianexpress.com/about/mahesh-babu/)
4. [Mahesh Babu – Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1121870/awards/)
5. [MAHESH BABU, Today's Traveller Collector's Issue 2025](https://www.todaystraveller.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Collector-Issue-2025.pdf)
6. [SS Rajamouli unveils time-travel adventure film 'Varanasi,' Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/17b96848fbd8a5551ca7066d75c227af)
7. [Mahesh Babu Career: From Child Actor to Superstar, Newstopup](https://newstopup.com/mahesh-babu-career-journey/)
8. [మహేష్ బాబు 21 ఇయర్స్ కెరీర్ రౌండప్, TeluguBulletin](https://www.telugubulletin.com/telugu/maheshbabu-career-21-years-roundup-48620)
9. [SS Rajamouli on IMAX and Varanasi, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/ss-rajamouli-shares-words-james-cameron-india-first-imax-films-varanasi)
10. [Inside Mahesh Babu's intense physical prep for Rajamouli's Varanasi, India Today](https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/movies/regional-cinema/story/mahesh-babu-rigorous-training-ss-rajamouli-direction-varanasi-role-2862823-2026-02-04)
11. [How Kalaripayattu Transformed Mahesh Babu for Varanasi, EasternEye](https://www.easterneye.biz/kerala-kalaripayattu-mahesh-babu-varanasi/)
12. [Mahesh Babu Spotted in Clean-Shaven Look After Varanasi Shoot, Sakshi Post](https://www.sakshipost.com/news/entertainment/mahesh-babu-spotted-clean-shaven-look-after-varanasi-shoot-482417)
13. [Mahesh Babu unveils his unique wax figure in Hyderabad](https://www.madametussauds.com/singapore/information/latest-news/mahesh-babu-unveils-his-unique-wax-figure-in-hyderabad/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Indian and South Asian film actors by industry and language › Telugu film actors › Surnames symbols to G*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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