‘I've evolved as an actor!'

Hitherto a ‘dream boy’ for the fairer sex and ‘style icon’ for the gentlemen, Prince Mahesh Babu will now be a household name, greeting his fans quite so often. What with the shy, private guy making a public appearance every other day announcing his endorsement deals and promotional events, Mahesh seems no more the unreachable crescent moon amidst the galaxy of stars.

After a tedious wait of three long years, the die-hard fans of Mahesh are exuberant and upbeat over watching their ‘screen idol’ groove to Manisharma’s melody, romance sexy Anuskha and sizzle in action sequences, in his latest flick Khaaleja slated for release on October 7. The Trivikram-Mahesh combo, after the blockbuster hit Athadu, has been driving the attention of all and sundry apart from the industry verticals.

“Khaaleja sure will be one of the biggest hits in my career. The whole team is confident of its success irrespective of the hype and hoopla,” Mahesh quoted at the recent launch of UniverCell outlet in Himayatnagar. Now, Mahesh has Dookudu with director Srinu Vaitla that will be soon on the floors.

After Sony launched the film’s music over Internet a while ago, Mahesh’s son Gautam Krishna had launched the music CD at Radio Mirchi FM station. “We thought of keeping this a low key affair yet innovative. The response to the music has been overwhelming. Of all the six songs, Sada Siva… is my fav,” says Mahesh, known for maintaining a low profile all through.

The film has the Prince playing a loud, brash and funny (unlike his earlier roles) taxi driver and Anushka bringing him bad-luck every time she bounces upon him. “My performance in Khaaleja would sure be appreciated. Since the long break has seen the evolution of actor in me. Like earlier, I’ll be choosy about the characters I play. But now on, you will notice a different Mahesh in every performance,” the handsome hunk declares.

Sporting a new hairstyle and elegant look in Khaaleja, the Prince was quite charming off the screen, too. “Mamta Anand did the wonders. Namrata of course lent her hand. Don’t I look stunning,” Mahesh poses a question with a bewitching smile.

Now that his wife Namrata, in an interview, tagged him one of the finest actors even in Bollywood, was she hinting at his prospective entry into the B-town? “Oh no! Now I can’t think of anything beyond Telugu films (he is quite particular about referring to Tollywood as Telugu film industry),” the charming dude humbly replies.

The most active (and attractive) south star on Twitter has signed a two-year contract with Provogue, after the recent Amrutanjan campaign. In fact, Mahesh is endorsing maximum number of products compared to his contemporaries, which in deed speaks in volumes of his fan following and approach in the masses.

“Provogue is a coincidence and has nothing to do with Khaaleja promotion,” he makes the clouds clear. “Their creations are the best in the country and really excite me, which I make sure of before endorsing a product.” The screen-scorcher is as well looking forward to meet his fans through the brand, as was in the case of Thums Up and UniverCell. After films, endorsement is certainly the best means to stay closer to one’s admirers. And, Prince Mahesh Babu has struck the right chord!