Mahesh Babu: Man of Peace!

Mahesh Babu is back in the city after what the actor has described as one of the toughest shoots of his life. But after several days in Leh, for the movie Aagadu (and with no signs of wear and tear), the actor is excited about the movie and remains stoic about a recent controversy and the failure of 1-Nennokadine. “We all know that 1-Nennokadine was ahead of its time… it was an experimental movie. I do only those films that I excite me. We just need to do our work and then move on. I take life as it comes.”

The actor also explained a recent dialogue that had caused a bit of flutter in T-town. From the trailer of the upcoming movie, Aagadu, there’s a part where the actor says the current trend of comparing oneself with animals like lions, tigers and elephants have irritated him. Many fans assumed this was the star’s dig at colleagues Pawan Kalyan and Balakrishna. But Mahesh immediately cleared the air.

“It is the attitude of the character that is being portrayed on screen, that’s all. It’s not personal. Aagadu is a typical Srinu Vytla movie. I play a cop and I am looking forward to its release,” he added.

The actor also talked about his shoot in Ladakh, and added that it was one of the most difficult shoots ever. “We were shooting at a high altitude for six days and the cast and crew had a tough time. We faced several problems — there was breathlessness and head-aches, but we managed to give our best shot, literally,” the actor said. And out in the cold, was Tamannaah too who is working with Mahesh for the first time. “Oh, she is a very hard working star and I am quite looking forward to the movie’s release,” he said. Asked about the much-hyped multi-starrer movie with director Mani Ratnam, he said, “We are still in talks. The issue here is my dates as I have a couple of other projects lined up.

Once it is finalised, we will make the necessary announcement.” Mahesh’s son, Gautham, was also appreciated in his debut movie; so does he see the little one becoming an actor? “I was nervous about his debut and we did not even share screen space. It was Namrata who was always by his side,” he said, adding, “The way he is doing it, I think he wants to be an actor.” About daughter Sitara, Mahesh adds, “She is the naughtier one.” The actor, who will turn 39 on August 9, said he likes to keep celebrations quiet: “But my last birthday was special as Sitara was with me in London.”