There are heroes who make films that don’t align with their personal tastes.
Some take on projects purely for the remuneration, while others agree to films based on good combinations, even when they have doubts about the success of the project. However, Mahesh Babu has always been seen as a hero who rises above such compromises.
If necessary, Mahesh prefers to take long breaks between projects rather than accept a story he doesn’t believe in.
In this regard, even the names of directors like Mani Ratnam and Gunasekhar didn't pique Mahesh Babu's interest.
Known for being straightforward about his scripts, Mahesh once made an exception under unavoidable circumstances, leading to one of the biggest flops of his career: Aagadu.
Initially, Aagadu was not a project Mahesh was supposed to be involved in. After some time of planning and development, circumstances forced the movie to proceed. The result was a box office failure.
At the height of his success, director Srinu Vaitla presented an incredible storyline to Mahesh, which the actor immediately approved.
Mahesh even allocated his dates, expecting the original story to go into production. However, due to unforeseen issues, including budget constraints, the producers were compelled to replace that story with another, leading to the making of Aagadu.
Both Mahesh and Srinu Vaitla had to compromise on this project. Vaitla later admitted that the movie could have been different if they had stuck to the original idea.
He even acknowledged that, in hindsight, Aagadu was a mistake and took responsibility for its failure.
He also pointed out that trends in cinema have changed drastically since then, and the story that once excited Mahesh could no longer be made into a movie today.
