Happy birthday Mahesh Babu: From Athadu to Srimanthudu, here are five of his best films

Superstar Mahesh Babu has turned 41. Even though born as the son of superstar Krishna, it is through his work Mahesh carved his own niche and rose to stardom. In his over two-decade long career, he has surprised a few times by going against the grain and attempting something a star of his stature wouldn’t and that’s what has made him different from his contemporaries. Here’s a look at five of his best films that worked beyond just offering entertainment.

Athadu

In this Trivikram directorial, Mahesh played a hitman and the role gave his career a much needed reinvention at that point in time. He played a character that rarely speaks but portrayed expressive body language and mannerisms. The film was much ahead of its time, especially in its Hollywood-style making and unlike the regular, star-driven commercial pot-boilers. Athadu works because it doesn’t glorify its hero and it is amazing Mahesh didn’t have a problem with it. Another highlight of the film was the dialogues and thanks to Trivikram, some of the lines are remembered even today.

Pokiri

Puri Jagannadh’s Pokiri, a follow-up to Athadu, is considered one of the biggest grossers of Telugu filmdom even today. In a role in stark contrast to what he played in Athadu, Mahesh played a reckless rowdy-cum-uncover cop to the tee, showcasing his range as an actor by impressing audiences and critics alike. Ask any non Mahesh Babu fan and Pokiri will definitely feature in their list of his best performances. Just like Trivikram, who reinvented Mahesh’s image with Athadu, Puri did something similar with Pokiri, and the result was highly satisfying. Even look-wise, Pokiri saw Mahesh sport long hair which was extremely well received by his fans.

Businessman

In his second collaboration with Puri Jagannadh, Mahesh played a character who aspires to be the next big don. Set in Mumbai, and stitched from the same cloth used to make RGV’s films, there was something special yet odd about Businessman that made it work. In yet another career-defining role, Mahesh displayed flamboyance and made the role Surya bhai special. Even though the film earned mixed response from critics, it didn’t miss to hit the bull’s eye at the box-office.

1: Nenokkadine

In a truly bold attempt, Mahesh teamed up with Sukumar for this psychological thriller. Mahesh shed weight and sport a six-pack abs for his role as a rockstar suffering from schizophrenia. While the film may not have worked at the box-office, it surely made audiences take notice of the creativity in its story and the versatility Mahesh can bring to his roles. It’s shame the film, despite being good, failed to connect with everybody. Despite its box-office results, most Mahesh Babu’s fans will continue to celebrate this film because it was out-of-the-box.

Srimanthudu

Considered the biggest blockbuster of his career this far, Koratala Siva’s Srimanthudu made Mahesh truly the man of the masses. The story about a millionaire wowing to change the fate of a small village connected across audiences and struck gold at the ticket window. In another sensible role, Mahesh proved why an actor needs a very competent director to succeed and there can’t be a better example than this film. Srimanthudu came after the debacle of Aagadu, and it gave Mahesh the much needed boost in his career.

All eyes are on Mahesh’s Spyder now. With the film slated to hit the screens on September 27, its teaser will be released today on the occasion of Mahesh’s birthday.