Happy birthday Mahesh Babu, says Namrata Shirodkar: ‘Love you, now and always’

Mahesh Babu is celebrating his 47th birthday today, August 9, with his family members.

Meanwhile, his fans are sharing photos and videos as a tribute to their demigod. To celebrate the occasion, Mahesh Babu’s fans arranged for a special screening of the actor’s iconic film Pokkiri in over 175 theatres across South India. So, why don’t we do the same? On his birthday, we list out the seven best films of the actor’s career.

MAHESH BABU’S FORMATIVE YEARS
Mahesh Babu made his debut as a child actor with Needa in 1979. He then went on to act in many films, such as Shankharavam, Bazar Rowdy, Anna Thhammudu, and Gudachari 117, among other films.

It was in 1999 that he made his acting debut as a hero in K Raghavendra Rao’s Rajakumarudu. He scored a hit with his debut film and, since then, fans started calling him Prince. The film was dubbed in Hindi as Prince No 1 and Tamil as Kadhal Vennila. In over two decades of his career, Mahesh Babu grew as one of the leading actors in the Telugu film industry.

7 BEST FILMS FROM MAHESH BABU’S FILMOGRAPHY
Okkadu

Directed by Gunasekhar, Okkadu was a milestone in the actor’s career. The romantic action film turned out to be one of the highest-grossing Telugu films ever. It was dubbed in Tamil as Ghilli, Kannada as Ajay, Bengali as Jor, Hindi as Tevar, Odia as Mate Aanidela Lakhe Phaguna and Sinhala as Kabaddi.

Pokkiri

In 2006, Mahesh Babu cemented his position as a mass hero with Puri Jagnnadh’s Pokkiri. The film was a blockbuster and remained the highest-grossing film for three years in Telugu. The film won five Nandi Awards.

Director Trivikram Srinivas’s Khaleja, also starring Anushka Shetty, is a fantasy action comedy. The film sheds light on illegal mining in India and environmental damage. The film explored Mahesh Babu’s comic timing.

Dookudu

Dookudu is an action entertainer directed by Srinu Vaitla. The film was released on over 1,800 screens in 2011, which was a big deal back in those days. The film also featured Samantha, Prakash Raj and Sonu Sood in lead roles.

Businessman

Businessman is yet another Puri Jagannadh film that catapulted Mahesh Babu to fame. The film, which was released during Sankranti 2012, turned out to be a superhit venture. It was also remade in Bengali as Boss.

Srimanthudu

Mahesh Babu’s Srimanthudu was released after Baahubali: The Beginning took the box office by storm. Yet, the film wreaked havoc at the box office. It was released on around 2,500 screens. The film also shared an important social message about developing villages, which was later adapted by many politicians.

Seethamma Vaakitlo Sirimalle Chettu

Seethamma Vaakitlo Sirimalle Chettu is a multi-starrer that brought together Mahesh Babu and Venkatesh Daggubati in lead roles. The family entertainer, directed by Srikanth Addala, was a commercially successful flick.