Mahesh Babu was born on August 9, 1975 to Mahesh Ghattamaneni. He is an actor, producer, media personality and Indian philanthropist known for his works at Telugu cinema. He owns G. Mahesh Babu Entertainment Pvt. The youngest son of Krishna, a veteran Telugu actor, Mahesh made his appearance as a child artist in Needa (1979), at the age of four, and has appeared in eight other films as a child artist. He debuted as a lead actor with Rajakumarudu (1999) and won the State Nandi Award for best male debut.

Mahesh was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. He is the fourth of five children of actor Telugu Krishna and Indira, after Ghattamaneni Ramesh Babu, Padmavathi and Manjula Swaroop and before Priyadarshini. Mahesh spent most of her childhood in Chennai, under the care of her maternal grandmother Durgamma and the rest of her family. As Krishna was busy with his film engagements, Ramesh watched over Mahesh’s academic performance. With his brothers and sisters, Mahesh regularly played cricket at VGP Golden Beach in Chennai. To spend time with him, Krishna used to make sure that the filming of his films would be made in the universal realm of the VGP during the weekends.

Krishna also ensured that none of her children revealed her name during their schooling to ensure a peaceful environment. He was educated at St. Bede Anglo-Indian High School in Chennai, where actor Karthi was his classmate. In an interview, Mahesh stated that he and the actor Vijay were close friends and had studied at the same college before settling in their respective film industries. Mahesh was a student above average. He earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Loyola College in Chennai. After graduating, he met director L. Satyanand in Vishakhapatnam to improve his acting skills for three to four months. Unable to read and write in Telugu, he memorized the dialogues given by his directors during the dubbing phase of his films.

Mahesh has been cited in the media as one of the most attractive male celebrities in India. His accomplishments have established him as a leading actor in Telugu cinema. Considered in the media as the Prince of Tollywood, he is one of the most popular and influential actors in Telugu cinema. He is described by the public as the superstar of Telugu cinema. In addition to his acting career, Mahesh is a philanthropist and humanitarian activist through his charity and non-profit organization, Heal-a-Child. He is also associated with Rainbow Hospitals as a goodwill ambassador.