It Is Difficult To Come Out Of Mahesh Babu's Aura, Says Gunasekhar

Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu has collaborated with director Gunasekhar on three films, each distinct in story and characterisation. While Okkadu turned the young Mahesh into a star, the others—Arjun and Sainikudu—showcased him in entirely different shades.

“I happened to see a few pictures from the muhurat of Mahesh Babu’s debut film Raja Kumarudu, and I was stunned by his charming, handsome looks. He felt like a Hollywood star,” recalls Gunasekhar, who began his journey with Mahesh through the sensational blockbuster Okkadu. Made on a budget of ₹9 crore, the film grossed ₹40 crore at the box office, cementing Mahesh’s status as a bankable star.

Gunasekhar vividly remembers how the project took shape. “While shooting Mrugaraju with Chiranjeevi garu, I met Mahesh Babu and pitched an idea about a youngster in the old city, sitting atop Charminar and taking a few puffs at the minars. The concept hooked him instantly. Later, when a producer was reluctant to mount such a costly project, we approached M. S. Raju garu. He promised to build a Charminar set in Hyderabad if he liked the script—and the rest is history,” he smiles.

The director was pleasantly surprised to learn that Mahesh had been attending international film festivals in Goa and Chennai, developing a taste for quality, visually rich cinema. “He always reinforces a director’s strength and insists they follow their vision without compromise—especially directors who had flops before working with him. I succeeded with him, as did Krishna Vamsi and Puri Jagannadh, because once Mahesh likes a script, he gives complete freedom to the director,” Gunasekhar explains.

Their rapport led to two more films—Arjun and Sainikudu—making Gunasekhar the only Telugu director to work with Mahesh in three films. “I’m proud of that feat. I tried to present him differently in each film. Once you get caught in Mahesh Babu’s aura, it’s hard to come out of it—he offers comfort, freedom, and a friendly environment, keeping the director completely at ease,” he says.

However, Gunasekhar also recalls how the graph soared after Okkadu began to dip. “I met Ram Gopal Varma, who told me that after a huge success, the graph is bound to fall because both actor and director set very high expectations. He reminded me of his own experience—after delivering the blockbuster Shiva with Nagarjuna, their next film Antham failed. I realised that working with the same star back-to-back is risky; gaps are essential for an actor-director combination to keep delivering hits,” he reflects.

He also remembers a candid conversation with Power Star Pawan Kalyan about Sainikudu’s underwhelming box-office performance. “I told him that we trusted each other too much. Pawan agreed, saying, ‘Yes, that’s not how it should happen.’ I realised that some things are just lessons learned,” Gunasekhar concludes.