Mahesh Babu: ‘Hindi films can’t afford me, I can’t waste my time’

Mahesh was asked when he would do a movie in Hindi. This question has become something of a cliche as almost all big stars from the South encounter this question when they interact with media from North India.

“I don’t know if I’d sound arrogant. I did get a lot of offers from Hindi. But, the simple thing is I don’t think they can afford me. I can’t waste my time. The kind of respect I get here. The kind of stardom I get here. I never really thought of leaving my industry and going to another. I always thought when you do films here it will become bigger. My belief is becoming true now. I can’t be happier,” Mahesh answered the question.

It’s worth noting that he was also asked the same question earlier in April. “I don’t need to do Hindi films. I can just do a Telugu film and it’ll get seen all over the world – that’s what’s happening right now. You’d want to be in a position to do (only) a Telugu film,” he had said earlier.

In the past, a south actor (male/female) doing a movie in Bollywood was touted to be a promotion. It was seen as a sign of the actor’s growing popularity and market value. However, the power dynamics among the Indian film industries have changed drastically in the last few years, with growing demand for movies from Telugu and Kannada film industries.

Sample this: three of the four movies in the Rs 1000 crore club were made in the south.

Mahesh is now waiting for the release of Sarkaru Vaari Paata, which is due in cinemas on May 12.