Why Did Mahesh Babu Say No to Shankar’s Films?

Director Shankar is said to have made several attempts in the past to collaborate with Mahesh Babu. The proposed combination reportedly reached the announcement stage on two occasions but did not materialise. After the success of Pokiri, Shankar is said to have narrated a different romantic story to Mahesh, but reports suggest that the actor turned down the project as he was not convinced by the story.

Later, when Shankar planned a Telugu remake of the Bollywood hit 3 Idiots, Mahesh Babu was reportedly the first choice. Although reports at the time suggested that Mahesh would star in the project, he eventually opted out. His reported preference against remakes was cited as one of the reasons. The film was eventually made as Snehithudu, but failed to achieve the expected success. Mahesh is currently focused on his upcoming global project with director S.S. Rajamouli.