Rahul Dev reveals reason for 'Varanasi' star Mahesh Babu’s ‘Bollywood can’t afford me’ statement: 'Unko zuban nahi aati'

Tollywood superstar Mahesh Babu is one of the biggest stars in the country as he also enjoys a huge following in the Northern states after his film being dubbed in Hindi. But even after so many years, he has never acted in a Hindi film. Recently, actor Rahul Dev reacted to why Mahesh Babu might have once made the comment, “Bollywood can't afford him.”

Rahul Dev on Mahesh Babu's statement

Rahul Dev worked with Mahesh Babu in the 2002 film ‘Takkari Donga’. During a conversation with Hindi Rush, he shared about the ‘Varanasi’ actor and his journey in Telugu cinema. Rahul Dev said that director Trivikram Srinivas and Mahesh Babu made films that connected strongly with audiences. According to him, their films mixed commercial entertainment with sensible storytelling. Rahul Dev said that kind of cinema is missing in Hindi films. He spoke about how Hindi cinema mostly goes into two sides—one side being dark and intense films and the other side being remakes of Hollywood movies.

During the interview, Rahul Dev was also asked about Mahesh Babu’s old statement where he said Bollywood “can’t afford” him. Rahul reacted with a smile and said, “Unko zuban nahi aati, sahi baat toh ye hai.” He then explained that the real reason may simply be that Mahesh Babu is not comfortable speaking Hindi.

About Mahesh Babu statement on Bollywood

For the unversed, Mahesh Babu had earlier spoken about Bollywood during the trailer launch of Adivi Sesh’s film ‘Major’. At that event, he openly said that he had received many Hindi film offers but never felt the need to move there. He had said, “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.” He also explained that he already gets huge love and stardom in Telugu cinema and feels happy working there.

Mahesh Babu’s next film

On the work front, Mahesh Babu is working with SS Rajamouli on the upcoming globetrotter movie, ‘Varanasi’. The film also stars global icon Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran in the leading roles. The film is announced to release on April 7, 2027.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”