Mahesh Babu

At four, Mahesh Babu first faced the camera, in a cameo in Needa (1979). Born Ghattamaneni Mahesh Babu on 9 August 1975 in Madras, the younger son of veteran actor Krishna, he played child roles through the late 1980s, including a dual role in Koduku Diddina Kapuram (1989), and studied at St. Bede's in Chennai before taking a commerce degree at Loyola College. Rajakumarudu (1999), his debut as a lead, won him the Nandi Award for Best Male Debut. He acts and produces in Telugu cinema, where the media refer to him as Superstar. Murari (2001) and Okkadu (2003) were his breakthrough, the latter bringing his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu. Athadu, Pokiri, Dookudu, Srimanthudu, Bharat Ane Nenu and Sarileru Neekevvaru were successes, and his honours include nine Nandi Awards, five Filmfare Awards South and four SIIMA Awards. He runs the production house G. Mahesh Babu Entertainment, co-owns the AMB Cinemas multiplexes and backs children's heart surgeries through the Mahesh Babu Foundation. He is married to actress Namrata Shirodkar. Up next is S. S. Rajamouli's Varanasi, due in 2027, with him as Rudhra in a dual role and Prithviraj Sukumaran in the cast as Kumbha.