Mohan Babu completes 45 years in the movies: A quick look at his career

Collection King Mohan Babu has been instrumental in bringing Tollywood to a respectable position in the country. Starting with a humble background as a physical education instructor, the South superstar and the god of Telugu cinema has completed 45 long years on the big screen. He is the only actor to have done over 500 films in various languages. On Twitter, the hashtags #45YearsForMohanBabuInTFI and #45YearsForSwargamNarakam were trending. If we talk about Mohan Babu, we cannot forget his powerful dialogue delivery. At a time when the industry was being ruled by Sobhan Babu, Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao went on to emerge as an irresistible actor. His choice of films catapulted him to the stature of Mohan Babu ruled the Telugu film industry through the 70s, 80s and 90s. Mohan Babu made his debut as an actor in Dasari Narayana Rao’s Swargam Narakam in 1975, in which he portrayed the role of an antagonist. Though initial films were box office flops, Mohan Babu continued to pick diverse roles. His first break came with Sivaranjani (1978) which was a blockbuster hit at the box office. With K Sheshagiri Rao’s Simha Garjana, he proved that he is a force to reckon with. In 1980, he had 26 releases and with this, he became the only Telugu actor to release so many films in a year. Before taking upon lead roles, the 68-year-old actor played negative roles in his films. His recent release was Akasam Nee Haddura, directed by Sudha Kongara and starring Suriya and Shalini Ushadevi, Ganesha and Aalif Surti. He played an Airforce officer Bhaktavatsalam Naidu in the movie which has earned him best reviews as an actor. Mohan Babu was honoured with the Padma Shri for his outstanding contribution to Art and Education. He won Filmfare Best Actor award for Pedarayudu (1995). He has received five CineMAA Awards under various categories. His on-screen performances and off-screen contributions have earned him numerous awards from several associations. Some of his notable films include Pedarayudu, Major Chandrakanth, Assembly Rowdy, Alludugaru, Brahma, Rowdy Gari Pellam and Allari Mogudu to name a few. The actor will be next seen in Son of India directed by Diamond Ratna Babu and produced by 24 Frames Factory Banners and Sri Lakshmi Prasanna Pictures. While the pre-production works are in full swing, the cast, crew and shooting details are expected to be out soon.