Mahesh Babu, who is one of the richest South Indian actors, owns luxury houses, cars, stocks and business properties. He is also the highest-paid actor in the Telugu film industry.

Mahesh Babu Ghattamaneni, who was born on August 9, 1975, in Chennai is the son of superstar Krishna and Indira. He has 4 siblings -- 1 brother, and 3 sisters. He grew up under the care of his maternal grandmother Durgamma. He completed his graduation in Commerce from Loyola College, Chennai. He married Namrata Shirodkar in 2005 has two children - son Gautam Krishna and daughter Sitara.

Mahesh Babu in Sarileru Neekevvaru
Mahesh Babu in Sarileru NeekevvaruTwitter

Acting career

Mahesh Babu, who developed an interest in acting since his childhood, began his carrier as a child artiste with movie Needa (1979) at the age of 4. After playing similar roles in 9 movies, he made his debut as a hero with Raja Kumarudu in 1999 and he has worked as a hero in 26 Telugu movies in two decades.

He has churned out several hit movies in two decades. Pokiri, Dookudu, Businessman, Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu, Srimanthudu, Bharat Ane Nenu, Maharshi and Sarileru Neekevvaru are the notable success of his career. Besides acting, he also produced films like Srimanthudu, Brahmotsavam, Sarileru Neekevvaru and Major under the banner G. Mahesh Babu Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

Mahesh Babu's remuneration

Each of these hits, his popularity has leaped up to new high and so is the graph of the growth in his remuneration and other earnings. Prince began his career with a single-digit salary per film and he ended up drawing double-digit by the end of the first decade in films. In 2010, Mahesh Babu took home over Rs 10 crore as remuneration for a film.

Mahesh Babu
Mahesh Babu at pre-release event of Sarileru Nekevaru.PR Handout

Mahesh Babu's salary crossed Rs 20 crore mark in the next five years and it grew by almost three times by the end of the decade. We hear that he reportedly earned over Rs 80 crore from his recent release Sarileru NeeKevvuru. Besides acting, he has been co-producing his films these years and instead of salary he is taking hope share in their earnings due to which his fortunes are fast-growing.

Brand endorsements

Mahesh Babu has also made his own mark in the advertising industry with his popularity. He is an ambassador for about a dozen South Indian brands. He endorsed brands such as Thums Up, UniverCell Mobile Store, Navratna Oil, Amrutanjan, Provogue, ITC Vivel, Jos Alukkas, Idea, Santoor Soap, South India Shopping Mall, Royal Stag, Rainbow Hospitals, TVS Motor Company, Mahindra Tractors, Paragon, and Tata Sky.

Philanthropy

Mahesh Babu is one of generous Telugu actors, who are known for philanthropic activities. He gives 30 percent of his annual income to charities, but are unpublicized because he prefers them to be so. He joined Farhan Akhtar's Men Against Rape and Discrimination (MARD) campaign in 2013. He was signed in 2013 as the goodwill ambassador of the Heal-a-child Foundation. He makes generous donations, whenever there is a natural calamity.

Mahesh Babu
Mahesh BabuTwitter

Assets

Mahesh Babu resides in the prime locality of Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad and its estimated value around Rs 28 crore. He recently purchased a house in Bangalore and Mumbai. He owns six best luxury cars, which include Range Rover, Mercedes Benz and Audi, which are worth Rs 9 crore.

The actor has ventured into multiplexes business with AMB Cinema. He is said to have invested in some other business ventures. The total worth of his assets and properties is reportedly over Rs 160 crore in 2020. He is one of the top 10 richest actors from the Telugu film industry.