“How would I know how much Bollywood pays”, says Mahesh Babu explaining why & how his joke on Bollywood was misconstrued

At a press meet in Hyderabad when Mahesh Babu was asked why he hasn’t worked in a Hindi the Telugu superstar winking replied that Bollywood can’t afford him. He was heard saying, “I may sound arrogant, but I did get a lot of offers in Hindi. But I think they can’t afford me. I don’t want to waste my time. With the stardom and love I have here in Telugu cinema, I never thought of going to another industry. I always thought I will do films here and they will become bigger, and my belief is turning into a reality now. I can’t be happier.”

The comments immediately became controversial with trolls excoriating Mahesh Babu for his seeming arrogance. However, the affable superstar sets the record straight. “It was all said in a light-hearted way. Does anyone seriously think I’d comment about fees at a public place? And how would I know how much Bollywood pays to its actors to say something like this seriously?”

So is he open to Bollywood offers? “Of course! I’d love to do a Hindi film. In fact, I’d like to do films in as many languages as possible. But Telugu cinema will always remain my priority.”

In fact, Mahesh Babu’s Hindi debut is closer than his fans imagine, S S Rajamouli will direct Mahesh Babu in a film that will be a Hindi-Telugu-Tamil tri-lingual.

Also Read: Boney Kapoor and Ram Gopal Varma react to Mahesh Babu’s comment on ‘Bollywood can’t afford him’