Mahesh Babu made his debut as a child actor in the 1979 film ‘Needa’ directed by Dasari Narayana Rao. He continued to appear as a child actor in films like ‘Poratam’ (1983), ‘Sankharavam’ (1987), ‘Bazaar Rowdy’ (1988), ‘Mugguru Kodukulu’ (1988), ‘Gudachari 117’ (1989), ‘Koduku Diddina Kapuram’ (1989), ‘Anna Thammudu’ (1990), and ‘Balachandrudu’ (1990). He got his first lead role in the 1999 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film ‘Raja Kumarudu’ directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. The film opened to a positive reception and was a commercial success. Babu also became a recipient of the ‘Nandi Award’ for his performance in the film. In 2000, he starred as ‘Srinivas’ in the Y. V. S. Chowdary-directed Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film ‘Yuvaraju.’ The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics. The following year, he portrayed ‘Murari’ in the Indian Telugu-language supernatural drama film ‘Murari’ directed by Krishna Vamsi. The film received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success. Babu also received his second Nandi Award along with a Filmfare Awards South nomination for his performance in the film. In 2002, he starred in the Sobhan-directed Indian Telugu-language romance film ‘Bobby.’ The film received a sort of mixed response from critics.
The year 2003 saw the release of the Indian Telugu-language action film ‘Okkadu’ where Babu played the role of ‘Ajay Varma.’ The film was a major commercial success and won 4 Filmfare Awards South including ‘Best Actor – Telugu’ for Babu. He next starred in films like ‘Naani’ (2004), ‘Athadu’ (2005), ‘Pokiri’ (2006), ‘Sainikudu’ (2006), ‘Athidhi’ (2007), ‘Khaleja’ (2010), ‘Dookudu’ (2011), ‘Businessman’ (2012), ‘Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu’ (2013), ‘1: Nenokkadine’ (2014), and ‘Aagadu’ (2014). He became a recipient of the ‘Filmfare Awards South’ and ‘Nandi Award’ for his portrayal of Harsha in the 2015 Indian Telugu-language action drama film ‘Srimanthudu’ directed by Koratala Siva. The film was praised by critics and was a major commercial success, grossing over ₹1.4–2.0 billion on a ₹400–700 million budget. He continued to star in films like ‘Brahmotsavam’ (2016), ‘Spyder’ (2017), ‘Bharat Ane Nenu’ (2018), and ‘Maharshi’ (2019). He was last seen in the 2020 Anil Ravipudi-directed Indian Telugu-language action comedy film ‘Sarileru Neekevvaru.’ The film received mostly positive reviews from critics and was a box office success. He is all set to appear in the upcoming Indian Telugu-language action comedy film ‘Sarkaru Vaari Paata.’
