Superstar Krishna and Mahesh Babu: A glimpse of their on-screen collaborations
Mahesh Babu had once proclaimed that his father readied him as an actor by making films during his school vacations
Mahesh Babu and Krishna
Veteran star Krishna was always keen that his sons Ramesh Babu and Mahesh Babu enter cinema and did everything in his capacity to ensure a good foundation to their acting careers. While Ramesh Babu's career fizzled out mid-way, Mahesh Babu established himself as one of the major superstars of Telugu cinema, much like his iconic father. In this series, we take you through the many instances where Krishna and Mahesh Babu shared screen space.
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Krishna, Mahesh Babu and Jayasudha
Poratam Mahesh Babu's first major appearance in Telugu cinema was for Poratam, directed by Kodi Ramakrishna, which also was the filmmaker's first project with Krishna. It was Kodi Ramakrishna who suggested Mahesh (in his fifth-grade) for the film and he'd bunked school for a couple of days to shoot for his portions. Mahesh's mischief as a child brought a lively atmosphere to the sets and he received good feedback from critics for his appearance. Also stars Jayasudha, Sarada and Sivakrishna.
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A poster of Goodachari 117
Goodachari 117Kodi Ramakrishna yet again brought together Krishna and Mahesh Babu for this film where the latter is cast in the role of a tourist guide in Ooty (who helps Krishna's character). Mahesh gets to shake a leg in this actioner that featured Bhanupriya in a double role. Gudachari 117 enjoyed a good run in theatres and the 100-day celebrations were held in Madras.
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A poster of Sankharavam
SankharavamDirected by Krishna himself, Sankharavam was a success at the box office in which the former was paired opposite Bhanupriya and Rajani. The film was shot in the vicinity of Ooty. The actioner is particularly remembered for the scene where a young Mahesh is tied to a 40-feet long rope and asks a character to kill the villain. He'd shot for the risky action sequence without a dupe and also performed a handful of other stunts on his own, earning the appreciation of many viewers.
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Ramesh Babu, Krishna and Mahesh Babu
Mugguru KodukuluMugguru Kodukulu brought both the sons of Krishna together on the screen - Ramesh Babu and Mahesh Babu in a film written and directed by their father. While the film was to be shot initially in Krishna's home-town Burripalem, the shoot location was later changed to Ooty. Radha and Sonam were cast as the female leads in the entertainer that Krishna had dedicated to his father Ghattamaneni Veera Raghavayya.
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A poster of Koduku Diddina Kapuram
Koduku Diddina KapuramInspired by the 60s hit Letha Manasulu, Koduku Diddina Kapuram, directed by Krishna, is about twin brothers resurrecting the marriage of their parents by swapping their places. Krishna and Vijaya Shanti played the lead roles in the film where Mahesh Babu grew volumes as an actor and showed he could be a good dancer too with the Siva Siva Murthivi Gananadha song in particular.
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A poster of Anna Thammudu
Anna ThammuduAmong the last few appearances of Mahesh Babu as a child actor, he plays a sibling to his father Krishna in the film. With screenplay and direction by Krishna, the film's opening dance number shot on Mahesh caught the eyeballs of viewers. From action to drama and dances, Mahesh Babu's talent came to the fore in the drama where Gauthami was paired opposite Krishna. The film registered good openings at the box office.
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Namrata Shirodkar and Mahesh
VamsiThe first on-screen appearance of Krishna with Mahesh after the latter turned a lead actor, Vamsi was a commercial failure. The film is remembered more for cementing the friendship between Mahesh and Namrata Shirodkar before they tied the knot in 2004. Directed by B Gopal, Vamsi, written by Satyanand and Paruchuri Brothers, hit theatres in 2000.
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Mahesh and Krishna in Takkari Donga
Takkari DongaThis was Mahesh Babu's foray into the cowboy genre, which was popularised by his father in the 1970s. While the Jayanth C Paranji's directorial didn't fare well at the ticket window, it was certainly a fond homage to Krishna, who shines as an outlaw in a special appearance along with his son. Mani Sharma's wonderful album hogged the limelight at the time of its release.