Actor Mahesh Babu has the image of a charmer onscreen. His smile lights up the screen and even as the actor turns 43, the number of his female followers is only swelling. He has worked on 24 films and on the occasion of his birthday, his 25th film Maharshi was announced, which will be directed by Vamshi Paidapally. Maharishi comes after last year’s Bharat Ane Nenu, which was a summer blockbuster. Despite the star status, the actor is among the most grounded and self aware actor in the industry with no airs about him. Having debuted in 1999, one might wonder why the star hasn’t been a part more films with his competitors having almost double the number of films to their name. Mahesh babu, however, had decided early on in his career that he will not do more than two films per year. Since 1999 till 2007, Mahesh Babu worked on 14 films after which he took a break. Embarking on my new journey as RISHI.#Maharshi pic.twitter.com/xiAylLc2ND — Mahesh Babu (@urstrulyMahesh) August 8, 2018 Mahesh Babu went against the grain by taking a three year break at the peak of his career. Speaking about this break in an interview with Film Companion, the actor had said, “The pressure got to me. I’d delivered one of the biggest hits at that time, called Pokiri. It was a phenomenal blockbuster at that time. Salman (Khan) remade it as Wanted. The movie took me to another level. Then, I lost my grandmother, who was very close to me. (My wife) Namrata’s parents passed away that same year. So everything was happening at the time and I didn’t know what films to do, what kind of a performance to come up with, how to satisfy my fans. My son was eight or nine months old at the time. So I said, ‘I’ll take a six month break’ and spend time with them. That six months became three years. I learnt a lot, matured, then knew what to do exactly.” Mahesh Babu’s daughter Sitara, wife Namrata Shirodhkar and son Gautam. His relationship with his family - wife Namrata Shirodkar and kids Gautam, Sitara - is another reason why fans adore him. He doesn’t let an opportunity go by where he hasn’t thanked his wife for being his support system and he has also expressed how much he loves his kids in words and pictures on his social media handles. After the success of Bharat Ane Nenu, Mahesh took to Instagram to share a beautiful picture where he was seen sharing a kiss with his wife. He had captioned it, “Thank you my love.” This was after his film Bharat Ane Nenu was announced as a blockbuster hit. The fact that Sitara is daddy’s little girl is all over Instagram. Throwing light on Mahesh Babu as a father, Namrata said in an earlier interview, “Whenever Mahesh is not working he is at home with me and the children. He loves to dance with our daughter Sitara. There is the one dance step that the two of them have been trying to master for weeks now. Neither father, nor daughter is able to do it. As for me, the less said about my dancing abilities the better. Our son Gautam is very shy just like his father. So Mahesh has to pull him into the father-daughter dance binges.” Mahesh Babu also has a bond with his fans that he takes very seriously. While the actor doesn’t take box office disasters to his heart, he does feel he has let his fans down. In the same interview, Namrata had shared, “It is the biggest success of his career. I can’t tell you what a joy it is, specially, since Mahesh’s last two films were disasters. Mahesh hates to let down his fans. He feels a sense of responsibility towards them. When his last two films didn’t do well he was constantly questioning himself and his choices. Bharat Ane Nenu has answered the question on what his audience wants. I feel as though I’ve just won a marathon race.” ott:10<doc-sep>After impressing audiences with his powerful performance as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh in Bharat Ane Nenu, South superstar Mahesh Babu once again is all set to enthrall fans as the actor shared his first look from his upcoming film Maharshi. It has been unveiled to coincide with the birthday celebration of the actor, who turns 43 today. In the poster, the actor looks uber-cool in a casual avatar, sporting beard. The film, directed by Vamsi Paidipally, will reportedly see Mahesh Babu in the role a CEO of a Fortune 500 Company. The film has mostly been shot in Dehradun. Sharing the look on his official Twitter account, Mahesh Babu wrote, "Embarking on my new journey as RISHI. #MAHARSHI." Embarking on my new journey as RISHI.#MAHARSHI pic.twitter.com/xiAylLc2ND— Mahesh Babu (@urstrulyMahesh) August 8, 2018 The movie, which marks Mahesh Babu's 25th film outing, stars Pooja Hegde as the female lead. It has been produced by Dil Raju via his production house Sri Venkateswara Creations. In an interview with PTI, Hegde had earlier said, "It's my second film with Dil Raju post 'Duvvada Jagannadham', as it so happens, DJ was the 25th film under his banner and this is Mahesh's 25th film. Vamsi is a great director, so looking forward to create something beautiful with this lovely team."<doc-sep>
Watch: Mahesh Babu’s ‘Maharishi’ teaser out, he plays a dashing college student According to the teaser, the film will release on April 5 next year. Flix Tollywood On the occasion of actor Mahesh Babu’s birthday, the superstar’s upcoming film's teaser—Maharshi--was released on Thursday. The teaser, which introduces Mahesh’s character as Rishi, has clocked over 2 lakh views within a couple of hours of its release. Unlike, his recent films in which the actor has been maintaining a clean shaven look, in Maharshi the actor is seen sporting a beard. Going by the teaser, Mahesh Babu is playing a college student yet again. Previously, he played the college student role in Srimanthudu and Bharat Ane Nenu. The first look of the film was released on Wednesday, and was well received by the audience. Maharshi is the 25th film of the actor, and is being directed by Vamshi Paidipally of Oopiri fame. The actor’s previous release was the blockbuster Bharat Ane Nenu. This is the first film in which Mahesh Babu is working with Vamshi Paidipally. In Maharshi, actor Pooja Hegde will be playing the lead actor opposite Mahesh. According to the teaser, the film will release on April 5 next year. The film is produced under three major banners—Sri Venkateswara Creations, Vyjayanthi Movies and PVP Cinema. Music for the film has been composed by Devi Sri Prasad, the cinematography is by KU Mohanan and the editor is KL Praveen. Meanwhile, several celebrities wished the actor on his birthday including his well-known friend, Minister of Municipal Administration and Urban Development of Telangana, KT Rama Rao. “Happy Birthday to the most humble superstar I know & dear friend @urstrulyMahesh Many returns of the day & I hope that you continue to be your awesome self Chief,” (sic) KTR tweeted. The actor responded and thanked him for the wishes. Thank you for your kind wishes, sir. https://t.co/E83hGR4t0u August 9, 2018 Watch: